PITTSBURGH – Manny Guerra proudly looked on from the right corner of the Grand Ballroom inside the Omni William Penn Hotel and wiped at the tears forming in his eyes. Hundreds of attendees at the 52nd U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration erupted as highlights of the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team played on the big screen, including Guerra’s final save in the team’s gold-medal victory over Norway in a shootout.

Team USA’s gold medal is a moment that still resonates with Guerra more than two decades since the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team made history as the first American team to win gold in the Paralympic Games.

Speaking on behalf of the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team during Wednesday night’s U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, Guerra recalled being mobbed on the ice by head coach and former NHL player Rick Middleton and his teammate Chris Manns in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Paralympics.

“I will never forget how you (Middleton) ran towards me at the end of the shootout with that smile of sheer joy as you and Chris hugged me and piled on me,” Guerra said. “You muttered into my ear, ‘This is my Stanley Cup! This is my Stanley Cup.’

“Realizing you had been there three times and never won it, I burst into tears. I could not believe how you considered this accomplishment as monumental as winning the Stanley Cup itself.”

The reality is that the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team’s gold medal victory was indeed historic and monumental. It carried the same weight as a Stanley Cup title or a gold medal for the Olympic Men’s or Women’s Ice Hockey Teams.

The gold medal made the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team also set the stage for the beginning of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team’s international dynasty.

The team was officially enshrined Wednesday evening into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame alongside fellow Class of 2024 inductees Matt Cullen, Brianna Decker, Frederick McLaughlin and Kevin Stevens. Sam Rosen was honored as the 2024 Lester Patrick Award recipient.

“Our disability can sometimes overshadow our athletic abilities on the ice,” Guerra said. “Our induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame celebrates the Paralympics and amplifies the athleticism of our efforts on the ice. It reflects a significant shift in silent attitudes toward disability, reminding us that inclusion and representation matter. Every achievement, no matter the obstacle, deserves to be honored.”

It was only less than half a mile away from the Omni William Penn Hotel that Cullen helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win two Stanley Cups during his time playing inside PPG Paints Arena and the Penguins hosted the Class of 2024, as well as their families and guests, during the Penguins 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday evening.

“There’s a lot of great memories here and a lot of great relationships,” Cullen said. “It’s great to be back here, and I wanted to thank the Penguins organization for hosting this event and (Tuesday) was a lot of fun.”

A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Cullen 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.  

“I mean I have been in that many places that I have a lot of people to thank,” Cullen said with a smile at the start of his thank you speech.

It has been quite the journey for the Moorhead, Minnesota, native, who recalled memories of playing on his dad’s homemade outdoor hockey rink with his two brothers and sister and having his mom waiting in the wings with hot chocolate and blankets for their frozen toes.

“My dad was my hero, he still is,” Cullen said. “He taught us how to work hard and he also taught us how to love the game. He would play with us out in the backyard rink that he built or in the basement.

“The losers always had to make milkshakes for the winners.”

Cullen said Wednesday that his return to Pittsburgh certainly brought back memories of the team’s championship parades and all the close friendships that were formed, including with Sidney Crosby, who made it a priority to attend the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in support of his former teammate.  

However, what made it even more special for Cullen was thinking back to the fun times his three boys had growing up in Pittsburgh. Cullen made sure to spend a chunk of his time at the Penguins game Tuesday night just soaking in the game with his three sons.

“My boys went to school at the Penguins training center,” Cullen said, while also recalling a time when Penguins coach Mike Sullivan kicked Olli Maatta off the ice at practice so that Cullens’ boys could get their own ice time.  

“The best part of my career was getting to share it with you in those later years and now that you’re trying to chase your dreams, and there’s nothing I love more than being there with you,” Cullen said to his boys.

During the Penguins’ game, Castle McLaughlin, the granddaughter of the late Frederick McLaughlin, was so happy to see a photo of Frederick inside PPG Paints Arena that she made sure to take a photo and send it to members of the family who were unable to attend the ceremony.

“To all of the wonderful people I have met in the hockey community in the last few days and the last few months, thank you for being so welcoming to a stranger,” Castle said. “I know that my grandfather would be delighted to be entering the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame along with three great American players in Kevin, Matt and Brianna. He’d be amazed and thrilled by the groundbreaking 2002 U.S. Sled Team.”

Cullen was not the only Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup champion being inducted as part of the Class of 2024. Kevin Stevens helped lead the Pens to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991-92 alongside Mario Lemieux, another attendee on Wednesday at the Omni.

“I remember the first couple of years when I came up, I was scared to the death of him,” Stevens said with laughter. “I grew up watching him and I was kind of like him. He always wants the puck. They then took me off his line because I couldn’t play with him because it wasn’t working. Eventually it all came together, and we won a couple of Cups and it was an amazing, amazing time.”

The dominant power forward spent more than 15 years in the NHL, but “Artie,” as he was affectionately nicknamed, was also thrilled to get to spend some time with the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team and learn about their gold-medal journey this week in Pittsburgh.

“This is quite an honor, and it is great to be up here with the others and the sled team,” Stevens said. “I honestly didn’t know much about the sled team until I sat down with these guys. What unbelievable guys.”

Of course, Stevens has helped inspire many through his own remarkable comeback from a devastating facial injury in 1993 and his resilience and dedication advocating for addiction awareness and support through his non-profit Power Forward 25.

“I try to help people,” Stevens said. “I was very lucky to have my sister come to me at the right time to form this. We help other people who are struggling with addiction. In the addiction world, the only thing I have to do to help people is tell the truth. I tell people what happened to me. I got hurt. I got stuck on some things.

“If I can help people that way, I try to do the best I can. I take it one day at a time. Follow through and life is good. I am so grateful to be standing up here today.”