Matt Cullen will return to the ice tonight as the Minnesota Wild take on Calgary.

Cullen missed three games with a groin injury, and the Wild went 1-2 with him out of the lineup.

Cullen has tapered off some since a blistering start. He has six goals and 13 assists in 27 games.

He’s still playing well, and he’s third on the team in scoring.

However, the team is in dire need of a winning streak.

The Wild are 13-13-4, and only one point from last place in the Western Conference’s Northwest Division.

Not good.

Star Tribune Wild beat writer Michael Russo wrote a blog about the dire situation Minnesota is in right now. You can read it by clicking here. You have to scroll down a bit, but it’s a good read. It’s the one titled “Wild, one point from dead last in the division, find new ways to shoot themselves in the foot.”

He says he took some heat from players about it on Saturday before the game against Calgary.

That’s all for now.

Minnesota Wild center Matt Cullen left last night’s 3-2 win against Phoenix after the second period with a re-occuring groin injury.

Minnesota Wild center Matt Cullen could be sidelined for awhile with a groin injury ... or not.

Cullen, who has 19 points in 27 games, was a game-time decision coming in.

Cullen said he isn’t sure when he will be on the ice again. He will be evaluated today, and they will make a decision based on how it feels Saturday.

This could take awhile. Groin injuries are tricky for any athlete, especially for a pro hockey player.

We’re not sure how severe it is, so Cullen could be back soon. Chances are the team will not want to rush him back and risk further injury.

Stay tuned.

A new book by Minnesota author Ross Bernstein sheds some light on what it means to have a day with the Stanley Cup.

The book, “Raising Stanley,” features stories from more than 100 NHL players who were part of Stanley Cup winning teams.

The players recount what the Cup means to them, what it takes to get it, and how they spent their day with the Cup. If you don’t already know, each member of the winning team gets a full day — chaperoned, of course — with the Stanley Cup.

Moorhead’s Matt Cullen is one of only a few players born in Minnesota to have won the Stanley Cup. I think there are about 22, not sure on the number. Cullen, now with the Wild, won it with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06.

Bernstein talks to almost all of the Minnesota guys about their Stanley Cup experience.

Here is a snippet from Cullen:

“I took Stanley back to my hometown of Moorhead for my ‘Day with the Cup,’ ” said Wild winger Matt Cullen, who won it with Carolina in 2006. “My wife and I have a children’s foundation for pediatric cancer research, ‘Cully’s Kids,’ and we had our annual charity event the day I brought it back, which was pretty special. We had a golf outing and had all the kids there with us, and we even filled up the Cup with fruit punch so that they could all drink out of it with straws. It was just awesome. We had a huge barbeque at our house too, for friends and family, complete with a celebrity whiffle-ball game for the Stanley Cup. It was amazing. My wife Bridget and I then went to bed with Stanley, for our first “threesome” I suppose! How great is that?! I remember a few days later the cleaning lady came over and I wouldn’t let her vacuum the big circular ring on the carpet where we had kept the Cup, I just didn’t want the memory to fade. So, we had the Stanley Cup carpet ring for a good month after that, just as a reminder of our incredible day and our even more incredible season.”

You can get the book from Bernstein’s Web site by clicking here. It looks like a good read.
 

Matt Cullen raises the Stanley Cup as a member of the champion Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06.