The legend of Matt Cullen grows.
After the 39-year-old lifted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career Sunday, he revealed that he'd been playing with a broken big toe since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to DKPittsburghSports.com's Josh Yohe.
Cullen finished the postseason with four goals and two assists in 24 games, averaging 13:50 in ice time per game. The injury seemed to have affected him, though, as he went pointless in the Stanley Cup Final and last 11 games.
Captain Sidney Crosby explained, though, that what Cullen brought to the team was far more than could be conveyed in the box score.
"I think with Cully, he brings a lot of leadership, a lot of experience. To play the role he did at his age, I think everyone is tired at this point, he was playing a lot of important minutes for us, defensive zone faceoffs, penalty kill," Crosby said. "He was doing a lot of things for us. He was scoring some big goals. He had some huge goals throughout the playoffs.
"He just brought a lot of leadership. With so many new guys, it's nice to have someone come in like that that takes it upon himself right away. He didn't kind of wait to feel comfortable. You could tell he was comfortable right away. That goes a long way."
