A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Matt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.) had an extraordinary playing career that included 21 seasons in the NHL with eight different clubs. He is one of just two American-born players ever to compete in 1,500 or more games in the NHL.
Always reliable, Cullen recorded 731 career regular-season points (266 goals, 465 assists) in the NHL, and tallied 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists) in 132 playoff games.
An Olympic gold medalist, NCAA champion and eight-time world champion as a player, Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wis.) had a remarkable on-ice career, and today continues to positively impact the game as a coach at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and with Team USA on the international stage.
A three-time Olympian, Decker helped the U.S. to gold at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and silver at both the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2022 Games in Beijing, China.
The late Major Frederic McLaughlin (Chicago, Ill.) was a pioneer in American hockey in the 1920s and 30s, with his efforts in founding the Chicago Blackhawks and securing two Stanley Cup titles during his tenure, serving as a catalyst for the growth and evolution of the sport not only in Chicago, but throughout the Midwest and beyond.
It was in 1926 that 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 passed -- led a consortium of Chicago businessmen in purchasing the NHL expansion Chicago Blackhawks.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Kevin Stevens (Pembroke, Mass.) spent over 15 seasons playing in the NHL. A dominant power forward, “Artie” as he is fondly known, has inspired many, not only through his remarkable comeback from a devastating facial injury in 1993, but also through the resilience and dedication he has shown in overcoming substance abuse and his subsequent advocacy for addiction awareness and support.
His esteemed NHL career included 10 campaigns competing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, including both to start and end his career. He also spent time with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.
The 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team made history as the first American team to win gold in the Paralympic Games. Their remarkable journey and triumph in Salt Lake City, Utah, defied all odds and set the stage for the dominant success Team USA has had since, including gold medals in the last four Paralympic Winter Games (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022).
When sled hockey made its Paralympic debut in 1994, Team USA was not one of the five countries to compete. Four years later in Nagano, Japan, the U.S. finished sixth of seven teams. Heading into Salt Lake City 2002, the U.S. had finished dead last at the previous world championship and only qualified for the Paralympics because it was the host country.