The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony in Pittsburgh for the first time ever on Dec. 4, celebrating the incoming 2024 class. It's only fitting, given that this year's class has a pretty Pittsburgh-heavy feel.
Former Penguins and current front office members Matt Cullen and Kevin Stevens are among the inductees this year, with the class being rounded out by U.S. women's national team forward Brianna Decker, the entire 2002 Paralympic sled hockey team that won the U.S.' first gold in the sport, and Blackhawks founder Frederic McLaughlin.
"It's just a huge honor for me," Cullen said in a virtual media availability on Thursday. "It's especially great having the ceremony in Pittsburgh, it'll be a special, special event. But I'm just super honored and humbled to be a part of this."
"It was a great long run of playing with great players," Stevens said of his induction. "And the only reason I'm really going in there is because I have played with great players. I had the opportunity to do that. But I'm very honored and glad and so happy it's in Pittsburgh. It's a great city. We'll have a great time there. The fans love hockey, so I can't wait to get back there in December."
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, founded in 1973, aims to "to preserve the rich history of the game in the United States, while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams." Inductees are evaluated based on whether they made an "extraordinary contribution to hockey in the United States," not just in international competitions.
Cullen and Stevens are the 16th and 17th inductees in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's 51 years who have ties to the Penguins. Stevens is the fifth member of the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup champion teams to be inducted, joining Joe Mullen (1998), Gordie Roberts (1999), Tom Barrasso (2009) and Craig Patrick (1996).
Both Cullen and Stevens are certainly deserving of the honor.
Cullen is only one of two U.S.-born players to skate in at least 1,500 games in the NHL, with his 1,516 games second to only Chris Chelios' 1,651. His 21 NHL seasons were split between the Mighty Ducks, Panthers, Hurricanes, Rangers, Senators, Wild, Predators and Penguins, amassing a total of 731 points (266 goals, 465 assists). He won three Stanley Cups -- one with Carolina in 2006, and then with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He represented Team USA in one World Junior tournament and three World Championships, winning bronze at the 2004 World Championship.
Stevens skated in 874 games over 15 seasons with the Penguins, Bruins, Kings, Rangers and Flyers, recording 726 points (329 goals, 397 assists) and winning two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. He played for Team USA at the 1988 Olympics, as well as three World Championships, serving as captain of the 1996 team that won bronze.
While both players spent significant portions of their career outside of Pittsburgh, each credited their time with the Penguins for getting them the honor of being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
"Pittsburgh was everything to me," Stevens said. "That's where I became the player I became. It started with Mario (Lemieux) already there, and I came in there, and they started to build a team. And I played with Johnny Cullen and Mark Recchi for a while, and they were friends of mine. I loved Pittsburgh so much. It was the start of my career. I loved being there."
Stevens said "things just fell into place" for him in Pittsburgh.
"I got to play with some great players," Stevens continued. "And then we started to build up championship teams in the early 90s. Pittsburgh was the start of my life, basically. I was in college, in the Olympic team, but really becoming a man and being in that city when I was, it was just a great time."
Cullen's experience in Pittsburgh was different -- he was an established veteran when he came to the Penguins, playing with a couple of teammates who were born the same year he was drafted in 1996. He was already "Dad" to those younger players, as well as his own three young sons.
"I wouldn't be sitting here if Jim Rutherford hadn't brought me to Pittsburgh and given me the opportunity late in my career," Cullen said. "I was considering finishing up, and to get there and get a chance to play with guys like Sidney (Crosby) and (Evgeni Malkin) and Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury, it was pretty special."
Cullen said that the honor of being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame is "especially cool" knowing that the ceremony will be held in Pittsburgh.
"For me, it's been such a special place," Cullen said. "We had so many fun years there. The two years we won the cup, I had my young family, my young boys were around the locker room, and it was kind of life coming full circle for me, growing up in a locker room with my dad as a coach. It has always been just a special place for me, and it's just awesome that we get to come back for this."
Further details on the induction ceremony are expected to be announced later this month.
