Michael Cammalleri

Early life

Cammalleri was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and was raised there in a secular household (he described his upbringing as "non-denominational"). His father, Leo, is of Sicilian-Catholic descent, and his mother, Ruth, is Jewish. He has one sister, Melanie. His maternal grandparents, from Poland and Czechoslovakia, were Holocaust survivors. He said: "It's a family of deep-rooted closeness and unity coming from very desperate times. It is who I am as a person."

His best sport as a youth was soccer, while he also played baseball and golf. His passion was hockey, and he played most of his minor hockey with the Toronto Red Wings organization of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He was selected by the St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Draft, but chose not to play in the OHL so as to preserve his American college eligibility. Instead, he joined the Junior A Bramalea Blues of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) where he was named the league's rookie of the year as a 15-year-old in 1997–98. He was named an all-star the following season and was selected as the Ontario Hockey Association's top draft prospect after scoring 103 points in 41 games.

At 15, Cammalleri committed to attend the University of Michigan on a full hockey scholarship. He took an accelerated course schedule and graduated from The Country Day School in King City, Ontario at age 17. He then moved on to Michigan, where he studied sports management and communications.

University of Michigan

Cammalleri joined the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey program in 1999, scoring 13 goals in 39 games as a freshman. He led the team with 29 goals as a sophomore in 2000–01, and was named a first-team Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) all-star. Michigan reached the 2001 Frozen Four, where it lost the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) semi-final game to Boston College. He was also voted to the NCAA west second All-American team.

The Los Angeles Kings selected Cammalleri in the second round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, 49th overall. He chose to remain in college, rejoining a much-younger Wolverines team as an alternate captain and expected to be the team's offensive leader. Early in the season, on October 1, 2001, he played in the "Cold War" against Michigan State, an outdoor game that set a then-world record attendance for a hockey game at 74,554 fans. Though he nearly missed the game due to a hip-flexor injury, Cammalleri figured in all three of Michigan's goals as the game ended in a 3–3 draw.

With 23 goals and 44 points in 29 games, Cammalleri led the Wolverines to the CCHA conference championship in 2001–02. He was named a CCHA second team all-star and an NCAA first team All-American. At the West Regional tournament, Cammalleri was named both an all-star at forward and the most valuable player as he led Michigan back to the Frozen Four. The Wolverines again lost the national semifinal, this time to the University of Minnesota.

Los Angeles Kings

Cammalleri chose to forgo his senior year of eligibility, signing a contract with the Kings ahead of the 2002–03 NHL season. He attended Kings' training camp, but failed to make the roster and was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored 14 points in nine games and earned his first recall to Los Angeles on November 7, 2002. He made his NHL debut the following night against the Ottawa Senators and earned his first point, an assist, in a 3–2 victory. His first goal came a week later, on November 16, against Tommy Salo of the Edmonton Oilers. He was demoted and recalled by the Kings twice more during the season, and appeared in a total of 28 NHL games, scoring 8 points in addition to 20 points in 13 games in the AHL before his season was ended on January 28, 2003, when he suffered a concussion in a game against the San Jose Sharks.

He again bounced between the Kings and the Monarchs throughout the 2003–04 season, while a labour dispute in the NHL resulted in his spending the entire 2004–05 season in Manchester. Cammalleri opened the season with 20 goals in his first 22 games en route to a league leading and franchise record setting total of 46. His total of 109 points, also a Monarchs record, was second in the AHL behind Jason Spezza's 117. He was voted a starter in the 2005 AHL All-Star Game, was named to the second All-Star team and received the Willie Marshall Award for leading the league in goals.

Returning to Los Angeles in 2005–06, Cammalleri established himself as an NHL regular, appearing in 80 games with the Kings and leading the team with 26 goals. He improved to 34 goals and 80 points in 2006–07 and was voted the recipient of the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' most valuable player by the local media. He and the Kings were unable to agree on a new contract following the season. Cammalleri was asking for $6-million per season, while the team offered $2.6 million. The two sides went to arbitration, where Cammalleri was awarded a two-year contract that paid him $3.1 million then $3.6 million.

The Kings opened the season in London, England for the first regular season games played in Europe in league history. Cammalleri scored two goals, including the first ever in Europe, in a 4–1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on September 29, 2007. He opened the season with ten goals in ten games before a protracted offensive slump and rib injury that forced him out of lineup for a month resulted in only nine more goals scored over the remainder of the season.

Calgary and Montreal

Cammalleri was involved in trade rumours following his arbitration hearing, which was considered contentious. At the 2008 NHL Entry Draft held on June 20, he was dealt to the Calgary Flames as part of a three-way trade. The Kings received Anaheim's first round pick, 12th overall, and a second round pick from Calgary, while the Ducks received Calgary's first round pick, 17th overall, and Los Angeles' 28th overall selection. Paired with Jarome Iginla, Cammalleri had a career year with the Flames in 2008–09, leading the team with 39 goals and finishing second to Iginla with 82 points. He scored the 100th goal of his career as part of his first hat trick early in a 4–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on November 27, 2008.

Faced with salary cap constraints, the Flames were unable to re-sign Cammalleri following the season. He left Calgary to sign a five-year, $30 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Midway through the 2009–10 season, he scored the 20,000th goal in Montreal franchise history on December 28, 2009, against the Ottawa Senators. A knee injury resulted in Cammalleri missing six weeks of play, but he finished the season with 50 points in 65 games.

Following a series victory over the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Cammalleri led the Canadiens into the conference finals for the first time since 1993 by tying a franchise record for goals in one series in a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. His total of seven tied the mark held jointly by Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Bonin. Montreal lost their third-round series to the Philadelphia Flyers, but Cammalleri's 13 goals led all playoff scorers despite the fact Montreal failed to reach the final.

Cammalleri began the 2010–11 season on the suspended list after earning a one-game ban for a slashing incident against Nino Niederreiter during a pre-season game against the New York Islanders. He then missed a month of play when he suffered a separated shoulder after being crosschecked into the boards by Buffalo's Mike Weber. He returned to action in time to appear in his second outdoor game, the 2011 Heritage Classic against Calgary.

Opening the 2011–12 season, Cammalleri scored the first NHL regular season goal at the MTS Centre as Montreal spoiled the debut of the new Winnipeg Jets franchise with a 5–1 victory. He had to leave the game, however, after suffering a cut on his leg from the skate blade of teammate Yannick Weber. He struggled throughout the first part of the season, and with the team also losing, was booed by the fans in Montreal during a 3–0 defeat against the St. Louis Blues. Following the game, he expressed his frustration, quoted as saying: "I can't accept that we will display a losing attitude as we're doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it's no wonder why we lose." The commentary sparked controversy, while the Montreal Gazette suggested later that the comments, originally spoken in English, were misrepresented after they were translated to French by Réseau des sports then translated back to English.

Two nights later, on January 12, 2012, Cammalleri was pulled from the Montreal lineup during their game against the Boston Bruins after the team completed a trade that saw him return to Calgary, along with the rights to goaltender Karri Ramo and a fifth round draft pick in exchange for René Bourque, prospect Patrick Holland and a second round draft pick. The circumstances of the deal, described as "bizarre" by the media, stunned Cammalleri's former teammates, none of whom could recall a player being dealt mid-game before. In his re-debut with the Flames, Cammalleri scored a goal, but Calgary lost 4–1 to Los Angeles. On February 13, 2013 he scored his 200th goal, again while completing a hat trick, against the Dallas Stars.

Cammalleri reached 500 points for his career on April 4, 2014, with a goal in a 2–1 victory over the Florida Panthers.

New Jersey Devils

Cammalleri signed a five-year, $25 million contract as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils on July 1, 2014. In his first season for the Devils, he was the teams leading scorer with 27 goals. For the 2015–16 season Cammalleri became the first player in the history of the Devils to wear sweater #13, becoming the first player to wear it since Robin Burns wore it with the Kansas City Scouts. He scored his sixth career hat-trick on November 6, 2016, against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Following the 2016–17 season, and suffering his second successive year in struggling offensively with the Devils, Cammalleri was placed on waivers in order to buy-out the remaining two years and $10 million left on his contract on June 30, 2017.

Return to Los Angeles

On July 1, 2017, Cammelleri was promptly signed as a free agent, agreeing to return to his original club, the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year bonus laden $1 million contract.

International play

Cammalleri made his international debut in 2000, joining the Canadian junior team at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He had four goals and six points in seven games for Canada, who won the bronze medal. He returned the following year, leading Canada to a silver medal. Cammalleri led the 2002 tournament in scoring with 7 goals and 11 points, and was named the tournament's top forward. He made his debut with the senior team at the 2006 World Championships where he scored one goal and five points in eight games for the fourth place Canadians. He returned for the 2007 tournament in Moscow, where his seven points helped Canada win the gold medal with a perfect 9–0 record.

Playing style

Though he stands five feet, nine inches tall, Cammalleri's teammates have argued his small stature is not a drawback. While at Michigan, teammate Craig Murray said that "a lot of people look at his size and they hold it against him, but there's no one stronger out there." On the ice, Cammalleri says he tries to play bigger than his opponents. His coach at Michigan, Red Berenson, agreed. He stated that Cammalleri played like he was "6-foot-4" with the puck and could beat any opponent one-on-one. The Hockey News rates his offensive skills and intelligence on the ice as his greatest strength, but notes that he can be inconsistent away from the puck. He is a natural goal scorer, and is capable of playing at either centre or on the wing. Injuries have been a concern for Cammalleri; his time in Montreal were marked by both shoulder and knee problems.

Personal life

Cammalleri and his wife, Jennifer Bernaudo, have a daughter, Chloe, born in 2011. Their second daughter, Mya, was born in December 2014. The couple have been involved in numerous charitable endeavours since Cammalleri joined the NHL. He has focused on children's charities, supporting the Starlight Children's Foundation, World Vision and the SickKids Foundation in Toronto among others. During his time in Montreal, Cammalleri also supported the military via his "Cammy's Heroes" program. He bought tickets for Quebec's soldiers and their families to attend Canadiens games, meeting with them prior to each game. In recognition of his service, the Canadiens named Cammalleri the 2010–11 recipient of the Jean Béliveau Trophy, a team award given annually to the player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities in the community".