In the Spotlight

Colorado College's Mark Cullen.

March 2, 2001

By P.J. Slinger

Mark Cullen has impressed his older brother so much that Matt Cullen is learning a few things about hockey from him.

What makes this so remarkable is that Matt Cullen is already at the pinnacle of the hockey world, playing for the NHL's Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Mark is a junior forward for Colorado College.

"Mark is gifted with the puck, he's a good passer and makes things happen," said Matt Cullen, who is two years older than Mark. "I really pattern some of the things I do after him. The way he controls the puck in the corner and buys time. I'm stealing things from him. You'd think it would be the other way around and it probably was earlier, but it's just exciting now watching him play. He just plays with so much confidence."

And Mark Cullen has been on a tear this season. A probable All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association selection, he has scored a point in 19 consecutive games heading into the final regular-season series.

"Things have been going my way this year as far as points," he said. "Both my linemates (Justin Morrison, Peter Sejna) have been scoring goals, so that makes it easier. It just seems like I'm getting the puck in a good spot to score."

Cullen grew up in a hockey family in Moorhead, Minnesota. His dad, Terry Cullen, played semi-pro hockey for the Green Bay Bobcats. He would flood the backyard during the winters so his kids could skate.

"That's how Matt got started playing at an early age and I started skating when I was 2, basically as soon as I could walk. I started playing hockey when I was 4," Cullen said.

Cullen also has another brother, Joe, who's two years younger and also plays for Colorado College.

"We're tight, really close," Matt Cullen said. "We competed against each other a lot in our backyard, but it wasn't competing to see who could be better. We all just loved to play."

Mark Cullen played for Moorhead High School, which finished second in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament his sophomore season and then finished third during his senior campaign.

It was his senior year where he started entertaining thoughts about playing collegiately.

"My senior year I only got one offer, but it wasn't for a full ride -- from St. Cloud State," he said. "But I knew I wanted to play a year of juniors for sure. I was only 160 pounds, so I knew I needed to get bigger and stronger and just more mature. I ended up having a good year."

He played for the Ice Sharks of the United States Hockey League and was named Rookie of the Year in 1997-98. Cullen also played for the USHL's all-star team at the international tournament in Fussen, Germany. That season he had 57 points in 31 games, despite a midseason wrist injury.

Then it was time to decide on a college. Matt Cullen played at St. Cloud State for two seasons, but left to join the NHL after his sophomore season.

"I probably would have gone there if he had still been there," Mark said. "We're best friends. In fact, all three of us (brothers) are great friends. But I wanted to leave some options open."

And so Cullen opted for Colorado College.

"I know Mark loved CC right away," Matt Cullen said. "And (the NHL) was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up at the time. So much in hockey is timing. But if we had been able to play on the same team (at St. Cloud State), that would have been unbelievable. But I know Mark and Joe just love playing together at CC."

Mark said having Matt be so successful may have opened doors for him. "Obviously Matt made a name for the Cullens, so I guess that got heads looking my way," Mark said. "But I'm a lot different player than Matt was, so they had to get me for what I could do. He's 6-1, I'm 5-11. I like to play down low, where he's more of a skill guy. He's a lot more physical."

Matt downplays his success as a factor in getting Mark and Joe to the collegiate level.

"Both Mark and Joe are good players in their own right," Matt said. "They would have done it on their own. They were around the rink a lot and got to meet coaches, but I didn't get them anywhere. And I didn't try to influence them on where to go, and that was the same with my dad and me. He knew a lot of the (college) coaches, but didn't try to influence me. I just decided on my own, just like Mark."

"I just loved everything about Colorado College the first time I went there," Mark Cullen said. "I love the coaching staff and the new arena was a great, too. I like that it's a small school, but a good school. And the guys are great."

And so are Cullen's stats. He has averaged more than a point per game (102 points, 101 games) during his nearly three seasons with the Tigers. This season Cullen is third in the league in WCHA games with 39 points, but first in the league in points per game (1.77). It could have been more, but Cullen was out for eight weeks with a neck injury.

"I never had a broken bone in my body until last year when I broke my thumb. A guy hit me with the stick and it shattered my whole thumb," he said.

But that was nothing compared to what happened against St. Cloud State. "I got the compression fracture in a vertebrae in my neck. It was very scary. It happened on the first shift of the third period, but I ended up playing the whole third period and overtime."

Cullen said he didn't realize the possible severity of the injury until a few days later.

"I figured if I had broken my neck, I'd be in pain. Eventually I got an MRI and we found out that had I hit my head at a slightly different angle, I could have been paralyzed. Just to think how close I came to never playing hockey again, or actually never walking again, is really scary."

But Cullen didn't lose a step after returning to the line-up and has actually scored 23 in the 14 games since the injury.

"I guess I don't take things for granted as much anymore, but after the first day or two of practice when I got back, it was back to normal," he said. "I just realize how lucky I was."

While playing a leading role in the success of Colorado College, Mark has his eyes on the future. His dream is to join his brother in the ranks of the NHL.

"Matt just built a house in Fargo that the three of us live in in the summer," Mark said. "We all work out together and he'll just give me so many little tips (about hockey and the NHL). The NHL is my ultimate goal. I'm just trying to do everything I can do to make that happen."