Like his brother Lawrence, Dave Cunningham took up hockey during the war years of the 1940s. In 1947 he helped found the Blackhawks Ice Hockey Club and remained with them through his retirement in 1965. During that time, he won the interstate Goodall Cup five times (1947 and 1952-55) and was selected to represent Australia at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, where his country placed ninth and last after failing to win any of their six games. Cunningham played in all six matches and scored the lone Australian goal in two of their double-digit losses. His position was right wing. From 2008 through 2013, the Dave Cunningham Trophy was given to the top scorer in the IHV Premier A League.