It was this -- the drive for perhaps a final chance at lifting the Cup -- that helped bring him back to Minnesota at the age of 41.
"This was the only thing I hoped for when I signed] was another chance to get in the playoffs and hopefully have a long run," Cullen said. "Now, where we sit, this is the opportunity you could hope for and for me, coming back, it's what I was hoping for."
The grind of the Stanley Cup Playoffs isn't easy for a man half Cullen's age. After an 82-game regular season, all 16 teams in the tournament head back to the starting line in an attempt to climb a mountain that could last two months or longer.
The first team to 16 wins gets to carry around one of the most prestigious trophies in all of sports.
Bumps and bruises are a certainty. Every team will face adversity along the way. How teams manage all of the unexpected road blocks often decides which one is left standing at the end. That's why having Cullen, a three-time champion, in the dressing room is so valuable for the Wild. He and Eric Staal, who won the Cup with Cullen in Carolina in 2006, are the only two players in the room to have won it in their careers.
"This is why we got him, his experience in positions like we're in right now," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "So we're hoping he's going to be valuable."
Cullen said standing at the bottom of the mountain can be intimidating for some, but it's the journey along the way that's the most fulfilling.
"There's a lot of excitement, especially at the beginning," Cullen said. "That Game 1, everyone is feeling it, everyone is excited starting over from scratch. As you go on, that sort of levels out and you settle into that playoff mode."
What makes the playoffs so physically demanding is that there is no way to conserve energy.
During the regular season, it may be easy to look at the schedule and decide to hold something back for the next game or the next trip.
All that is guaranteed for both the Wild and Jets right now is the next four games. That doesn't allow players any time to keep something in the tank.
"There's no such thing," Cullen said. "If you start conserving energy, you're going to find it's a short playoff run."
Instead, recovery on days off is at that much more of a premium. It's those days that players are able to bank as much energy for the next time out, when they will once again expend all of it in an effort to extend a series -- and a season.
"Getting your rest and getting your treatment [is vital], and getting yourself back to feeling really good for the next game," Cullen said. "And as the playoffs go on, if you're lucky enough to go on a long run, fatigue, the grind, the bumps and the bruises start to wear on you. Then it becomes more of a mental battle to get ready and get prepared."
It's that grind that keeps guys like Cullen, already a three-time champion and the oldest active NHL player, coming back for more.
"Every year, it's a different path and a different road. No matter what you've been through, you feel that same excitement on day one and here we are," Cullen said. "I have the same excitement I had my first time in the playoffs. If I didn't, I don't think I should be here, to have an opportunity to make another run at it."
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- Watch: Cullen talks Masterton nomination
