Matt Cullen
Three-time Stanley Cup champion; played 1,500+ NHL games.
Matt Cullen, an American former professional ice hockey center, spent 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. He lifted the Stanley Cup three times—once with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017—and earned a bronze medal with the United States at the 2004 World Championship. Cullen is among just 22 players to have skated in more than 1,500 NHL games, and he is the only member of that group who never received an All-Star selection. He is also one of three American-born players to reach the 1,500-game mark.
Born on November 2, 1976, in Virginia, Minnesota, to Terry and Nancy Cullen, he grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, alongside his siblings Mark, Joe, and Annie. When he was 10, his family moved to Moorhead after his father took a job coaching hockey at Moorhead High School. After one more season of bantam hockey, Cullen joined the Moorhead High Spuds in 1992 under his father’s guidance. In his first season, he ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points, and the Minnesota State High School League named him to its all-tournament team after he recorded four assists during the three-day event. The following year, he centered the second line between Ryan Frisch and Ryan Kortan.
During his senior year, Cullen set single-season school records in both hockey and baseball. As a shortstop, he tied the school’s home run record by hitting three in one game. In the 1994–95 hockey season, he centered the top line between Frisch and Troy Bagne, and on March 9 he broke Ryan Kraft’s single-season points record with a goal and an assist just 63 seconds apart. He was named the Associated Press’ Player of the Year and selected to the All-State First Team. Though nominated for the 1995 Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award, he lost to Erik Rasmussen. Recruited by several local schools, including the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of North Dakota, and University of Wisconsin, Cullen narrowed his choices to three after being put off by Minnesota’s recruiting tactics and the distance to Wisconsin. In February 1995, he announced he would sign a letter of intent with St. Cloud State in April, partly because he believed he would get more playing time there.
Cullen played for the St. Cloud State Huskies from 1995 to 1997.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1976-11-02
- Birth Place
- Virginia, Minnesota, U.S.
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 1
- Weight Lb
- 202
- Position
- Center
- Shoots
- Left
- Played For
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim / Florida Panthers / SG Cortina / Carolina Hurricanes / New York Rangers / Ottawa Senators / Minnesota Wild / Nashville Predators / Pittsburgh Penguins
- Ntl Team
- USA
- Draft
- 35th overall
- Draft Year
- 1996
- Draft Team
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Cullen grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, after his family moved there when he was 10. His father, Terry, coached ice hockey at Moorhead High School, and Cullen played for the Spuds under his father's tutelage. In his senior year, he set single-season records in both hockey and baseball, tying the school's home run record with three in one game. He was named Associated Press Player of the Year and selected for the All-State First Team, though he lost the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award to Erik Rasmussen. Cullen played collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State University from 1995 to 1997, leading the team in assists and points as a freshman and earning WCHA All-Rookie honors. He was drafted 35th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1996. After signing a three-year contract, he spent time in the AHL before making his NHL debut on October 28, 1997, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recorded his first NHL point on November 2 against the Boston Bruins and his first NHL goal on January 21, 1998, against the Florida Panthers.
Reader's Guide
Matt Cullen's significance lies in his remarkable longevity and consistent two-way play over 21 NHL seasons. He is one of only three American-born players to appear in at least 1,500 NHL games and the only player among the 22 who reached that milestone never to be named an All-Star. His career includes three Stanley Cup championships—one with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and two with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Cullen also represented the United States internationally, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 World Championship. His path to the NHL began in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he set high school records in hockey and baseball, and continued at St. Cloud State University, where he was a standout freshman. After being drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, he worked his way up from the AHL, earning AHL Player of the Month honors and an AHL All-Star selection. His ability to adapt and remain effective across two decades, without ever receiving an All-Star nod, underscores a career defined by durability and reliability rather than flash.
Did You Know?
- Cullen is one of only three American-born players to play at least 1,500 NHL games.
- He is the only player among the 22 with over 1,500 NHL games never to be named an All-Star.
- Cullen won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
- He tied his high school's home run record by hitting three home runs in one baseball game.
More in Carolina Hurricanes Players 1-24
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