Cullen, Decker among 4 players, 1 team elected to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Stevens, McLaughlin, 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team also in Class of 2024

Matt Cullen, who is one of two United States-born players to play at least 1,500 NHL games, was among four people and one team elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

Cullen had 731 points (266 goals, 465 assists) in 1,516 games spanning 21 NHL seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins. The forward is a three-time Stanley Cup champion.

Brianna Decker, an Olympic gold medalist, NCAA champion and six-time IIHF world champion; Kevin Stevens, a two-time Stanley Cup champion; Major Frederic McLaughlin, a pioneer in American hockey in the Midwest; and the gold-medal winning 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, will also be honored at the dinner and ceremony in Pittsburgh on Dec. 4.

The Lester Patrick Trophy, awarded annually for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S., and Wayne Gretzky International Award, also will be presented on that date as well.

“The impact of the Class of 2024 spans across the sport and each honoree is reflective of the extraordinary contributions necessary to earn the highest honor in American hockey,” USA Hockey president Mike Trimboli said. “Their stories are all unique and have positively impacted so many. We very much look forward to enshrining the Class in December.”

Cullen, who was born in Minnesota, is second only to defenseman Chris Chelios in NHL games played by a U.S.-born player (1,651).

He signed with Carolina as a free agent on Aug. 5, 2004, and scored an NHL career-high 25 goals in the regular season and had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to help the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. He had two assists in a 3-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Final.

Cullen signed with the Penguins on Aug. 6, 2015, and had six points (four goals, two assists) in 24 playoff games, including two game-winners, to help Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2016. In 2016-17, he had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 25 playoff games to help the Penguins to a second straight title.

Cullen played two seasons at St. Cloud State University (1995-97) and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023. He represented the United States five times on the international stage, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 IIHF men’s world championship.

Decker is a three-time Olympian who helped the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics with three assists in five games. She also took home the silver twice (2014 Sochi; 2022 Beijing).

A native of Dousman, Wisconsin, the right-shot center also won gold with the women’s national team at the IIHF Women’s World Championship six times (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).

She spent four seasons at the University of Wisconsin (2009-13), was named the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winner as the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, and helped the Badgers win the NCAA national championship in 2011.

Stevens, a Massachusetts native, spent 15 NHL seasons with the Penguins, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. He had 555 points (260 goals, 295 assists) in 522 games over 10 seasons with the Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. In 1991, he had 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 24 playoff games to help Pittsburgh win its first championship.

He had 726 points (329 goals, 397 assists) in 874 regular-season NHL games.

Stevens returned to hockey following a devastating facial injury with Pittsburgh during the 1993 playoffs and showed resilience in overcoming substance abuse during his career. He created Power Forward Inc. in 2018, a non-profit established to provide resources and education to battle opioid addiction. He currently serves as a special assignment scout with the Penguins.

The left wing represented the U.S. four times internationally, scoring seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games to win a bronze medal as captain at the 1996 IIHF World Championship. Stevens had 170 points (71 goals, 99 assists) in 158 games during four seasons at Boston College (1983-87).

Posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963, McLaughlin served as a catalyst for the growth of hockey not only in Chicago but throughout the Midwest and beyond during the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1926, McLaughlin, the son of a prosperous coffee merchant who took over the family business four years after graduating from Harvard University in 1901 when his father died, led a group of Chicago businessmen in purchasing the NHL expansion Chicago Black Hawks. The team received its namesake from the Army’s 86th Blackhawk Division of the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion, which McLaughlin commanded during World War I.

McLaughlin was hands-on in team operations and often involved himself in player decisions and coaching changes, helping lead the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 1934. Chicago won its second Stanley Cup under McLaughlin in 1938, and he remained active with the organization until his death in 1944 at age 67.

The 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team made history as the first American team to win gold in the Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under coach Rick Middleton, who spent 14 seasons in the NHL, the U.S. went undefeated and outscored the opposition 22-3 in Salt Lake City. It defeated Norway 4-3 in a shootout to win gold. Ten of the 15 players on the U.S. roster were paralympic rookies.

U.S. defenseman Sylvester Flis was named the 2002 Paralympic MVP and led the tournament with 11 goals and 18 points, which each set paralympic single-tournament marks.