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Matt Cullen

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Matt Cullen
Cullen with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals
Born (1976-11-02) November 2, 1976 (age 48)
Virginia, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Florida Panthers
SG Cortina
Carolina Hurricanes
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  United States
NHL draft 35th overall, 1996
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Playing career 1997–2019

Matthew David Cullen (born November 2, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Cullen won the Stanley Cup three times during his career, with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, and won a bronze medal in at the 2004 World Championship with the United States.

As of 2024, Cullen is one of 21 players to play over 1,500 NHL games and the only one of the group to never be named an All-Star. He is also one of two players American-born players to play in at least 1,500 NHL games.

Playing career

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Cullen graduated from Moorhead High School in 1995; his father, Terry Cullen, was the school's varsity ice hockey coach. During his time at Moorhead High, Cullen led Moorhead to three state tourney appearances and two runner-up finishes. He was an all-state tourney selection three years, and was a Mr. Hockey finalist in 1995, when he was named the state's Player of the Year by the Associated Press after scoring 47 goals and adding 42 assists in 28 games.

Cullen played at St. Cloud State University from 1995 to 1997, and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 1995 and WCHA All-Star in 1996.[1] He was then drafted in the second round, 35th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1996 NHL entry draft. Cullen played for the Ducks from 1997 until 2003, when he was traded to the Florida Panthers.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Cullen played in the Italian Serie A with SG Cortina, where he led the league in scoring with 27 goals and 33 assists in 36 games.

In the 2005–06 season, after NHL play resumed, Cullen won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. After the season, he became an unrestricted free agent and subsequently signed a four-year contract with the New York Rangers.[2] After just one season with the Rangers, Cullen was traded back to the Hurricanes during the 2007 off-season in exchange for defenseman Andrew Hutchinson, forward Joe Barnes and a third-round draft pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft in the Rangers' attempt to free up salary space underneath the cap.[3]

On February 22, 2009, Cullen scored the first hat-trick of his career in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. On February 12, 2010, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alexandre Picard and a 2010 second-round draft pick.[4]

On July 1, 2010, Cullen returned to his home state when he signed a three-year deal as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild.[5] Upon the expiration of his three-year contract with the Wild, and with the team facing salary cap constraints, Cullen departed as a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 5, 2013.[6]

On August 6, 2015, Cullen signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins,[7] reuniting him with former Hurricanes' general manager Jim Rutherford, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2006. Cullen won his second Stanley Cup when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games in the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. On August 17, 2016, Cullen signed a second one-year deal with the Penguins.[8] In June 2017, Cullen won his second consecutive Stanley Cup with the Penguins when they defeated the Nashville Predators in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.[9]

On August 16, 2017, after winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins, Cullen signed a one-year contract to return to the Minnesota Wild.[10] After Jaromír Jágr was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames that season, Cullen became the oldest active player in the NHL at 41.[11]

On July 1, 2018, Cullen returned to the Penguins, signing a one-year contract.[12]

On July 10, 2019, after completing 21 seasons in the NHL, Cullen announced his retirement.[13] Upon his retirement, Cullen was one of two American-born NHL players to play in at least 1,500 games.[14]

After retiring from the NHL in 2019, Cullen became a player development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He saw his first action as an NHL bench coach in February 2022, when filling in for the injured Todd Reirden.[15]

In 2023, Cullen was inducted to St. Cloud State University's athletics hall of fame.[1][16] In 2024, Cullen was elected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[14][17]

International play

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Cullen also played on four World Championship teams and was a 2004 bronze medalist with the United States national team.

Personal life

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Cullen is a member of a well-known hockey playing family, originating from Ontario. He is the older brother of Mark Cullen and Joe Cullen, who also played hockey professionally. Cullen and his wife have three sons, and they reside in Moorhead, Minnesota, during the off-season.[18] Cullen is a Christian.[19]

Cullen founded the "Cullen Children's Foundation", also known as "Cully's Kids", in 2003. The foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children's healthcare needs with an emphasis on cancer.[20]

In 2020, Cullen bought in on the Fargo Force Hockey Academy and changed the name to the Cullen Force Academy upon his buy in.[21]

Career statistics

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Cullen at the Stanley Cup parade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1994–95 Moorhead High School USHS 28 47 42 89 78 — — — — —
1995–96 St. Cloud State University WCHA 39 12 29 41 28 — — — — —
1996–97 St. Cloud State University WCHA 36 15 30 45 70 — — — — —
1996–97 Baltimore Bandits AHL 6 3 3 6 7 3 0 2 2 0
1997–98 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks AHL 18 15 12 27 2 — — — — —
1997–98 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 61 6 21 27 23 — — — — —
1998–99 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks AHL 3 1 2 3 8 — — — — —
1998–99 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 75 11 14 25 47 4 0 0 0 0
1999–2000 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 80 13 26 39 24 — — — — —
2000–01 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 82 10 30 40 38 — — — — —
2001–02 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 79 18 30 48 24 — — — — —
2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 50 7 14 21 12 — — — — —
2002–03 Florida Panthers NHL 30 6 6 12 22 — — — — —
2003–04 Florida Panthers NHL 56 6 13 19 24 — — — — —
2004–05 SG Cortina ITA 36 27 34 61 58 18 8 13 21 36
2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 78 25 24 49 40 25 4 14 18 12
2006–07 New York Rangers NHL 80 16 25 41 52 10 1 3 4 6
2007–08 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 59 13 36 49 32 — — — — —
2008–09 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 69 22 21 43 20 18 3 3 6 14
2009–10 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 60 12 28 40 26 — — — — —
2009–10 Ottawa Senators NHL 21 4 4 8 8 6 3 5 8 0
2010–11 Minnesota Wild NHL 78 12 27 39 34 — — — — —
2011–12 Minnesota Wild NHL 73 14 21 35 24 — — — — —
2012–13 Minnesota Wild NHL 42 7 20 27 10 5 0 3 3 2
2013–14 Nashville Predators NHL 77 10 29 39 32 — — — — —
2014–15 Nashville Predators NHL 62 7 18 25 16 6 1 1 2 4
2015–16 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 81 16 16 32 20 24 4 2 6 8
2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 72 13 18 31 30 25 2 7 9 24
2017–18 Minnesota Wild NHL 79 11 11 22 20 5 1 1 2 2
2018–19 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 71 7 13 20 14 4 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1,516 266 465 731 592 132 19 39 58 72

International

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Medal record
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Prague
Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1996 United States WJC 5th 6 3 1 4 0
1998 United States WC 12th 6 2 1 3 4
1999 United States WC 6th 6 1 6 7 4
2003 United States WC 13th 6 1 1 2 2
2004 United States WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 2 4 6 4
Junior totals 6 3 1 4 0
Senior totals 27 6 12 18 14

Awards and honors

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Cullen raising the Stanley Cup in Nashville, 2017.
Award Year Ref
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 1996
All-WCHA Second Team 1997
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2006, 2016, 2017 [14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Matt Cullen (2023) - Hall of Fame". scsuhuskies.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Rangers sign former Hurricanes center Cullen". ESPN.com. July 1, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Burnside, Scott (July 17, 2007). "Cullen returns to Carolina; Rangers gain Hutchinson, Barnes". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  4. ^ LeBrun, Pierre (February 12, 2010). "Canes acquire Picard plus 2010 pick". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Andresen, Glen (July 1, 2010). "Cullen Comes Home". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Nashville Predators Sign Matt Cullen To A Two-Year Contract". NHL.com. July 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Penguins Agree To Terms With Veteran Center Matt Cullen". NHL.com. August 6, 2015. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  8. ^ "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Matt Cullen to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. August 17, 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions". CBC.ca. June 11, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Wild Signs Forward Matt Cullen". NHL.com. August 16, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Myers, Dan (February 1, 2018). "With no Jagr, Cullen assumes 'oldest active player' mantle". NHL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "Penguins Sign Forward Matt Cullen to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. July 1, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "Penguins F Cullen retires after 21 seasons". TSN.ca. July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Matt Cullen". ushockeyhalloffame.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Haase, Taylor (February 24, 2022). "Cullen 'a natural' stepping into coaching role". DKPittsburghSports.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Myers, Jess (September 5, 2024). "Moorhead's Matt Cullen inducted into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame". The Rink Live. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  17. ^ Ruff, Walt (September 5, 2024). "Matt Cullen To Be Inducted Into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame". NHL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  18. ^ "NHL Champion Checks Fear of Failure". CBN.com. December 10, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Mercer, Kevin (April 12, 2019). "Pittsburgh Penguins center Matt Cullen trusts in the Lord's plan as team enters NHL playoffs". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Shircliff, Elaine (November 6, 2015). "Foundation Friday : Cullen Children's Foundation". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  21. ^ "Matt Cullen Joins the Fargo Force Academy". Fargo Force. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
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