Matt Cullen

Three-time Stanley Cup champion and one of only three American-born players to play 1,500 NHL games.

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 at the 2004 World Championship with the United States. Cullen is one of 22 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 three American-born players to play in at least 1,500 NHL games.

Quick Facts

Born: 2 November 1976
Birthplace: Virginia, Minnesota, U.S.
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Draft: 35th overall
Drafted by: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Lore & Background

Cullen was born on November 2, 1976, in Virginia, Minnesota, to parents Terry and Nancy Cullen. He grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota alongside his siblings Mark, Joe, and Annie. He played for the St. Cloud State University Huskies from 1995 to 1997 before turning professional. He was drafted in the second round, 35th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1996 NHL entry draft.