The St. Cloud State University Men’s Hockey team honored one of the best to ever take the ice for the Huskies when they retired the jersey of 21-year NHL veteran and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Matt Cullen in January.
The Huskies retired Cullen’s No. 9 jersey during a pregame ceremony ahead of SCSU’s game against Colorado College on Jan. 14 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Former Husky and NHL player Mark Parrish, who played two seasons in college with Cullen, was the emcee during the ceremony. Cullen was joined at center ice by his wife Bridget, sons Wyatt and Joey, and parents Nancy and Terry.
Following a video shown from Cullen’s former coaches, teammates and friends congratulating him, SCSU President Robbyn Wacker, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Nic Katona and Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner presented Cullen with his No. 9 jersey. Cullen is the second Husky in program history to have his number retired, joining fellow 2006 U.S. Olympian Bret Hedican (No. 24).
“The journey for No. 9 has been unfolding for many years and St. Cloud State University is excited to honor one of its most distinguished alumni,” Parrish said during the ceremony. “His character and passion for the game came through in everything he did. You don’t last 21 years in the NHL and win three Stanley Cup’s without a ton of passion and character.”
Cullen spent two seasons with the Huskies (1995-97) before joining the NHL. During his time at SCSU, Cullen led the team in assists and points (12-29-41 in 1995-96 and 15-30-45 in 1996-97) in both seasons in red and black, and currently ranks 51st all-time on the Division-I all-time scoring list with 86 points (27-59-86). He was also one of three Huskies to represent the United States in the 2006 Olympics along with Hedican and Parrish. At the national level, Cullen was named a six-time National Junior Team or National Team selection and helped the United States capture bronze at the 2004 World Championships.
“When I think back on my time here at St. Cloud, I’m overfilled with gratitude. I had a lot of fun playing here with these guys, and I don’t know that there is a better place to play than (at SCSU),” Cullen said during the ceremony. “Spending a few years here in St. Cloud with this group of people, I don’t know if I would have the NHL career that I was blessed to have without these guys here.”
Cullen appeared in over 1,500 games during 21 NHL seasons, suiting up for the Anaheim Ducks (1997-03), Florida Panthers (2003-04), Carolina Hurricanes (2005-06, 07-10), New York Rangers (2006-07), Ottawa Senators (2010), Minnesota Wild (2010-13), Nashville Predators (2013-15) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-17, 18-19). While registering 266 goals, 465 assists and 731 points over his career, Cullen hoisted the Stanley Cup Trophy with Carolina in 2006 and Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.
Cullen was impressive off the ice as well, founding the “Cullen’s 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. Cullen remains active in his hometown of Moorhead, and he recently purchased the Fargo Force of the USHL in 2020.
“I don’t think of this as a celebration of my own accomplishments, but I honestly think of it as a celebration of how far our hockey program has come here and what a special program we have,” Cullen said. “It fills me with a lot of pride to come here and see what a quality program we have, the quality young men we have coming out of here, and the teams we are producing. I’m really proud to be a small part of that. It’s an honor to come back here to join in this.”
Click the video below to view the full jersey retirement ceremony or visit vimeo.com/utvs/mattcullen.
