Craig Darby is a former professional ice hockey player who played as a center. He was born on October 26, 1972, in Oneida, New York, and grew up in the nearby town of Oswego. Darby began his hockey career playing for the Oswego High School Buccaneers, where he was a standout player. He then went on to play for the Cornwall Royals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for two seasons, from 1989 to 1991.
In 1991, Darby was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, 43rd overall, in the NHL Entry Draft. He spent the next few years playing for the Canadiens' minor league affiliates, including the Fredericton Canadiens of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wheeling Thunderbirds of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Darby made his NHL debut with the Canadiens during the 1995-96 season, playing in 11 games and recording one assist. He spent the majority of the season with Fredericton, where he had 47 points in 63 games. Darby played in 14 games for the Canadiens during the 1996-97 season, but spent most of the year with Fredericton, where he had 57 points in 68 games.
In 1997, Darby was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Kirk Muller. He played in 47 games for the Islanders during the 1997-98 season, recording 10 points. Darby spent the next two seasons splitting time between the Islanders and their AHL affiliate, the Lowell Lock Monsters. He had a career-high 29 points in 47 games for the Islanders during the 1999-2000 season.
Darby signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent in 2000 and played in 60 games for the team during the 2000-01 season, recording 12 points. He spent the next two seasons splitting time between the Flyers and their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Darby had 27 points in 47 games for the Phantoms during the 2002-03 season.
Darby signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent in 2003 and played in 20 games for the team during the 2003-04 season, recording two assists. He spent the majority of the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, where he had 38 points in 57 games.
After the 2003-04 season, Darby retired from professional hockey. In total, he played in 230 NHL games, recording 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points. He also played in 357 AHL games, recording 97 goals and 171 assists for 268 points.
Since retiring from hockey, Darby has worked as a coach and scout. He was an assistant coach for the Phantoms during the 2004-05 season and has worked as a scout for the Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Darby currently works as a scout for the Arizona Coyotes.
🏒