When Mark Cullen played hockey on the makeshift ice rink that froze over the backyard of his childhood home, his competitive nature and determination was as clear then as it is today. Fearless and willing, Cullen would jump in goal and allow his two brothers to pummel him with flying pucks. His tough skin would prove a significant trait later down the road.

"He was the guy who always wanted to play goalie and he'd get hit in the head, or anywhere on his body and he didn't care," laughs older brother Matt, 28, a Carolina Hurricane center. "He would just battle through it. He was always tough and was the one that was most competitive. He would just do anything to win."

Mark Cullen, 27, has done just about everything possible to succeed at hockey. And today, has found all his hard work has finally paid dividends as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Cullen's ability to shoot the puck, his knack for being virtually unnoticed by opponents and underappreciated by goaltenders has made him a quick fan-favorite. With 20 games under his belt, Cullen has seven goals and six assists, is currently on a five-game point streak, and leads the team with a plus-7 rating. But the hard road traveled to make the Blackhawks was far from a cakewalk.

Cullen, a Moorhead Minnesota native with strong roots in hockey -- father Terry played semi-pro hockey with the Green Bay Bobcats -- had a successful career in the NCAA with Colorado College, scoring 167 points in 153 games, and was a WCHA First Team All-Star in 2001 and 2002. But his surging collegiate career suffered a setback in 2001 after Cullen was hit from behind by a St. Cloud State opponent in the third period of play. Unbeknownst to Cullen, who missed one shift the rest of the game, and who played in overtime, he had broken his neck.

"My neck really hurt, but I never thought by any stretch of the imagination that it could be a broken neck," Cullen said. "It hurt, but I thought I could still play. I think we ended up winning in overtime."

Later, an MRI would reveal a compressed fracture in the vertebra. If hit at another angle, Cullen could have been paralyzed. As it was, he was out for eight weeks and wore a neck brace. He recovered in time to finish the season with 53 points in 31 games.

After college, Cullen signed with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent in 2002, and played with the AHL's Houston Aeros. It was with Houston, which Cullen referred to as a "second home," that he was part of the Calder Cup Championship in his rookie year. But during training-camp physicals entering his second season (2003-2004) with Houston, Cullen's luck would take a negative turn. His physical detected a suspicious mole beneath his arm, it was discovered to be melanoma, or skin cancer.

"It was a shock," Cullen said. "Anytime you hear the word 'cancer', especially feeling that I was a young, healthy person, I was shocked to say the least. It was a scary time in my life and I'm glad to have gone through it and I'm glad to be healthy right now."

The growth, surrounding lymph nodes, and some skin, were removed in three separate surgeries at Minnesota's Mayo Clinic. Luckily, Cullen did not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation, as he had believed. Almost three years later and with timely six-month checkups, Cullen is cancer free.

"It helped me prioritize my life in general," Cullen said, "and made me realize what was important to me -- to take a step back and look at your life and where you're headed right now because you never know how long you're going to get."

Matt Cullen says one of the scariest moments of his life was watching his brother battle cancer. Reality set in after consultations with physicians that initially talked about chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

"When they (doctors) start talking about chemotherapy and things like that, it becomes a reality, and you're like 'Holy cow, this is real,'" he said. "I thought Mark handled it really well. He was pretty strong through the whole thing. He was really fortunate to catch it before it had spread, but man, that was a really scary time."

Support stemmed from the whole Cullen crew, including his parents, Matt, and younger brother Joe, 25, of the AHL's Binghamton Senators.

Cullen's ability to shoot the puck, his knack for being virtually unnoticed by opponents and underappreciated by goaltenders has made him a quick fan-favorite.

"They were as supportive as any brothers could have possibly been and it was nice having people that close to me that I could confide in and just talk to about that," Mark Cullen said.

It is no surprise why Joe lists Mark as the person he most admires in his team's media guide. There is no question why big brother Matt boasts about Mark's example and how he has learned from little brother, instead of the other way around.

"One thing I've learned from Mark is perseverance," Matt said. "He's the guy that no matter what, he's never given up."

Though the Chicago Blackhawks rest just above St. Louis at the bottom of the Western Conference with 57 points, Cullen is living a dream come true. Headed into the season, the Hawks were optimistic, what with the additions of Stanley Cup goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and veterans like Adrian Aucoin and Martin Lapointe. But injuries soon plagued the team, causing the ultimate collapse in Chicago's season. Though Cullen could have alleviated some scoring pains earlier in the season, procedural matters intervened. After being recalled by Chicago from their AHL affiliate in Norfolk in early November, Cullen impressed with a two-goal game against Calgary on Nov. 18. Still, he had to be returned to the minors due to NHL rules that would require he clear waivers if he played 10 games in the NHL this season.

"In Cullen's case, in a perfect world, he should have been here for the whole year," Blackhawk coach Trent Yawney said. "He deserved to stay, but rules didn't allow it, and selfishly, we didn't want to lose him. A guy like Cullen's got a terrific shot and most teams or goalies will take him a little lightly, and he'll put it by him. He knows how to score goals. I've been really pleased with the way he's played."

Cullen was permanently recalled by Chicago on March 10 and will return to Norfolk after Chicago's season closes to help Norfolk in the Calder Cup playoffs. He hopes to continue his scoring touch in Norfolk where he had 29 goals and 39 assists in 54 games. After that, the future is unknown. Cullen becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, but he hopes to remain in Chicago.

"I always wanted to be here, that's for sure. I always wanted to play in the NHL," Cullen said. "It's been a really positive year, but on top of that, it's been a really fun year for me personally. The team in Norfolk had a lot of success. We struggled early, but lately we've been really good. It's been going well for me there, and just having the bonus of playing in the NHL for the first time in my career has been a great experience. It's been awesome here in Chicago.

"With everything that's happened, it kind of makes (being in the NHL) that much greater. ... Just being here and enjoying my time here."

As Cullen has learned, time is a precious commodity, and he has more than paid his dues.