Matt Cullen

Last updated

Matt Cullen
Matt Cullen 2017-06-08.jpg
Cullen with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals
Born (1976-11-02) November 2, 1976 (age 47)
Virginia, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 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 teamFlag of the United States.svg  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) with eight teams between 1997 and 2019 with. 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 Championships with the United States.

Contents

As of 2022, 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.

Playing career

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. 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. He also played on four World Championship teams and was a 2004 bronze medalist on Team USA.

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.

Cullen in the Stanley Cup parade with the Hurricanes. Matt Cullen.jpg
Cullen in the Stanley Cup parade with the Hurricanes.

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. After just one season with the Rangers, Cullen was traded back to the Hurricanes during the 2006–07 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. [1]

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 second-round draft pick.

Cullen raising the Stanley Cup in Nashville, 2017. Matt Cullen 2017-06-11 1.jpg
Cullen raising the Stanley Cup in Nashville, 2017.

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. [2] 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. [3]

On August 6, 2015, Cullen signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, reuniting him with former Hurricanes' general manager Jim Rutherford, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2006. Cullen won his second Stanley Cup on June 12, 2016. [4] On August 17, 2016, Cullen signed a second one-year deal with the Penguins. [5] On June 11, 2017, Cullen won his second consecutive Stanley Cup with the Penguins when they defeated the Predators in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals. [6]

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. [7] After Jaromír Jágr was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames that season, Cullen became the oldest active player in the NHL at 41. [8]

On July 1, 2018, Cullen returned to the Penguins, signing a one-year contract, after spending the previous season with the Wild. [9]

On July 10, 2019, after completing 21 seasons in the NHL, Cullen announced his retirement from professional hockey. [10]

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 mid-2022 for the Penguins when filling in for an injured coach. [11]

Personal life

At 42, in his final year of NHL hockey and as the oldest player on the Penguins, Cullen was nicknamed "Dad" by his teammates. Two of them, Jared McCann and Marcus Pettersson, were born the same year that he was drafted. [12]

Cullen is the older brother of EC Red Bull Salzburg player Mark Cullen, as well as of Braehead Clan player Joe Cullen. Matt Cullen has a wife and three sons. Cullen currently resides in Moorhead, Minnesota, in the off-season with his family. [13] Cullen is a Christian. [14]

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. [15]

In 2020, Matt Cullen bought in on the Fargo Force Hockey Academy and changed the name to the Cullen Force Academy upon his buy in. [16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1994–95 Moorhead High School USHS 2847428978—————
1995–96 St. Cloud State University WCHA 3912294128—————
1996–97 St. Cloud State UniversityWCHA3615304570—————
1996–97 Baltimore Bandits AHL 6336730220
1997–98 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks AHL181512272—————
1997–98 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 616212723—————
1998–99 Cincinnati Mighty DucksAHL31238—————
1998–99 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimNHL751114254740000
1999–2000 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimNHL8013263924—————
2000–01 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimNHL8210304038—————
2001–02 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimNHL7918304824—————
2002–03 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimNHL507142112—————
2002–03 Florida Panthers NHL30661222—————
2003–04 Florida PanthersNHL566131924—————
2004–05 SG Cortina ITA 3627346158188132136
2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL7825244940254141812
2006–07 New York Rangers NHL8016254152101346
2007–08 Carolina HurricanesNHL5913364932—————
2008–09 Carolina HurricanesNHL69222143201833614
2009–10 Carolina HurricanesNHL6012284026—————
2009–10 Ottawa Senators NHL21448863580
2010–11 Minnesota Wild NHL7812273934—————
2011–12 Minnesota WildNHL7314213524—————
2012–13 Minnesota WildNHL42720271050332
2013–14 Nashville Predators NHL7710293932—————
2014–15 Nashville PredatorsNHL62718251661124
2015–16 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL8116163220244268
2016–17 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL72131831302527924
2017–18 Minnesota WildNHL791111222051122
2018–19 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL71713201440000
NHL totals1,51626646573159213219395872

International

Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2004 Prague
YearTeamEventResult GPGAPtsPIM
1996 United States WJC 5th63140
1998 United States WC 12th62134
1999 United StatesWC6th61674
2003 United StatesWC13th61122
2004 United StatesWCBronze medal icon.svg92464
Junior totals63140
Senior totals276121814

Awards and honors

AwardYear
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 1996
All-WCHA Second Team 1997
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2006, 2016, 2017 [17]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Cullen returns to Carolina; Rangers gain Hutchinson, Barnes". ESPN. July 17, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Cullen comes home". Minnesota Wild. July 1, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Nashville Predators sign Matt Cullen to a two-year contract". Nashville Predators . July 5, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Penguins sign Matt Cullen to 1-year deal". Pittsburgh Penguins. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Matt Cullen to a One-Year Contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Wild Signs Forward Matt Cullen". NHL.com. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ Dan Myers (February 1, 2018). "With no Jagr, Cullen assumes 'oldest active player' mantle". NHL.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Penguins Sign Forward Matt Cullen to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Penguins Cullen retires after 21 seasons". The Sports Network. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, Pirates News, Live Coverage | DK Pittsburgh Sports".
  12. ↑ "Penguins' Most Creative Player Nicknames Through the Years". The Hockey Writers. March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  13. ↑ "NHL Champion Checks Fear of Failure". www.cbn.com.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Shircliff, Elaine (November 6, 2015). "Foundation Friday : Cullen Children's Foundation". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Matt Cullen Joins the Fargo Force Academy". Fargo Force Hockey. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Penguins win Stanley Cup, defeat Sharks in Game 6". National Hockey League . June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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