Breaking: Rutherford wants to bring Cullen back to Pittsburgh

Just not in the way you might expect.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Breaking: Rutherford wants to bring Cullen back to Pittsburgh
Keystone Press

With things finally back on track for the Pittsburgh Penguins, fans are breathing a little easier as they are now on the right direction towards clinching yet another playoff berth.

One guy that everyone would love to bring back for a potential three-peat is Matt Cullen, who is currently playing for the Minnesota Wild.

Affectionately known as "Dad", Cullen was rumored to come back to Pittsburgh at some point this season, but that idea has since fizzled, especially with the Wild competing for a playoff spot.

Cullen is at home in Minnesota, and it wouldn't make sense for him to leave now, although he openly admits how much he loves the city of Pittsburgh, and all the friendships he forged in his time there.

That being said, retirement seems inevitable for the veteran. He almost hung up the skates in 2015 before Jim Rutherford swooped in and offered him a contract during the summer. It added two more years to his career.

It was widely believed he would hang them up for good after the second consecutive Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh, but he ended up accepting a deal in free agency with the Wild.

He may play one more season overseas to give his family a taste of European life, but beyond this year, his NHL career seems all but over.

However, Rutherford may still find a way to bring him back to Pennsylvania.

"Before Cullen left for Minnesota, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford mentioned the possibility of Cullen having a post-hockey role in Pittsburgh," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey revealed.

"Cullen didn’t commit either way — he obviously would have to leave Minnesota — but did say that working in hockey after his player career is over is something he’s considering."

Evidently this isn't set in stone, but the desire to have him back is real, and it will ultimately be up to him to decide whether or not this is a logical plan for him and his family.

The role could be behind the scenes, or could be an on-ice role, much like what Sergei Gonchar does with defensemen.

Here are some great quotes from Mackey's interview with Cullen.

On Sidney Crosby...

“I don’t think people appreciate what kind of a quality person he is,” Cullen said. “Being around him every day, seeing how many autographs he signs, how many people he goes out of his way to say hi to or make their day, I have a huge appreciation for what a good person he is. I could go on and on about his hockey and seeing him every day at practice and the way he works, takes care of himself and trains. I just think the world of Sid. The friendship that we developed over the years means a ton to me.”

On Mike Sullivan...

“I look back over my career, I think Sully’s the best coach I’ve had,” Cullen said. “I can’t say enough about the way that he managed the room. That’s not necessarily an easy team to coach at times. There’s a lot of superstars.

On Marc-Andre Fleury...

“The way that he handled everything he went through, the manner in which he handled it, the class he handled with … I don’t know if I could have handled it that well,” Cullen said. “I don’t know anybody who could have handled it that well and do it the way that he did it. Then to step up and play some huge games for us in the playoffs last year ... without him playing the way he did, there’s no way we win the Stanley Cup. It’s just such a great story. It couldn’t happen to a better person.”

On leaving Pittsburgh...

“You leave it considering yourself really blessed and super thankful to be a part of such a special group of people. To go through everything we went through, it just doesn’t happen. I think we all have become acutely aware of what a special group we had.”