Matt Cullen is 40 years old, and is widely expected to retire after this season.
If so, he will leave the game with a trove of memories.
After all, the guy has earned two Stanley Cup rings, appeared in more than 1,300 NHL regular-season games and played a couple of seasons of Division I hockey at St. Cloud State.
But some of his most cherished recollections actually were forged long before Cullen left his teens.
They date to his three appearances in the Minnesota state high school tournament, an event that annually captivates the entire state.
“Obviously, the Cups are at the top,” Cullen said. “But [playing in the tournament] is not far behind that. It really isn’t.
“I get so excited to talk about it. I can’t really put into words. In all my travels, where I’ve lived, I’ve never seen anything that compares to it.”
Cullen labored for the greater glory of the Moorhead Spuds, who finished third when he was a sophomore and second in his junior and senior seasons.
Many of the guys he played with — and against — are preparing to converge on the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and Mariucci Arena, on the campus of the University of Minnesota, where the tournament will play out Wednesday through Saturday.
“Everybody I played with in high school goes down to every state tournament and watches the teams, whether our team is in it or not,” Cullen said.
When Cullen was at Moorhead, the tournament was contested at the St. Paul Civic Center, best-known for its transparent, acrylic glass boards.
While the venue has changed, the basic format – schools are divided into two classes, based on enrollment, and compete in regional events to qualify – has not.
Neither has the enthusiasm the tournament generates.
“It’s a full house for every game,” Cullen said. “And the buzz around the Twin Cities area is all about the state high school tournament.”
Mostly about the games, of course, although they aren’t the only attraction. A hockey expo in the convention center adjacent to the Xcel Energy Center is pretty popular, too.
“As a young kid, you walk through and they have all the new sticks, all the new skates, places where you can do shooting contests and stick-handling contests,” Cullen said. “It’s just like a hockey player’s dream, the whole atmosphere of it.”
Part of that dream for young players – the ones who idolize guys on their local high school squad – is having a chance to compete in the tournament someday.
“Those guys are your heroes,” Cullen said. “When you’re in youth hockey, you’re looking up to those guys.
“It’s the only thing I ever dreamed of. I never really dreamed of playing college or playing professionally. I always wanted to play in the state high school tournament.”
Kids from schools both large and small will have that opportunity, and a state will be watching as an event that rivals Indiana’s fabled high school basketball tournament – or any other scholastic competition in the country – plays out.
“If you’re a hockey fan, it’s almost one of those things where it’s worth going to Minnesota to take it in,” Cullen said. “It’s that cool.”
THE WEEK AHEAD
Today – Buffalo. With the Sabres likely to miss the playoffs again, coach Dan Bylsma figures to be feeling some heat.
Wednesday – at Winnipeg. Jets partisans still are unhappy that Evgeni Malkin wasn’t fined or suspended for his hit to the head of Winnipeg forward Blake Wheeler Feb. 16.
Friday – at Edmonton. Penguins get their final look at wunderkind Connor McDavid, at least in the regular season. But with his speed, they’d better look fast.
Saturday – at Vancouver. The city is spectacular. Its NHL team is not.
Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG
First Published: March 5, 2017, 5:00 a.m.
