Sanipass started his National Hockey League career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1987 after being drafted 14th overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Sanipass would also play for the Quebec Nordiques. Sanipass would also become famed for his role in the 1987 World Junior Hockey Championship brawl (Punch-up in Piestany) that took place between Canada and the Soviet Union. Both teams left the bench, prompting the referees, who were unable to stop the fighting, to leave the ice surface for their own safety. Officials even tried to turn off the lights with the hopes of causing the players to be so concerned with their own safety that they would stop fighting. Both teams were ultimately kicked out of the tournament for their unsportsmanlike behaviour.