Hockey is full of tired, boring cliches.
Got to get pucks deep.
Keep it simple.
Go to the dirty areas.
A goaltender standing on his head.
One that is a bit more descriptive is the proverbial Canadian farm boy.
But that one isn’t exactly a trope for Brett Kulak.
He literally grew up on a farm in Canada. Worked it too.
Born in Stony Plain, Alberta, Kulak lived on a 1,400-acre expanse used to raise cattle and grain outside the western suburb of Edmonton.
“It’s not really just fun and games,” Kulak said. “Your dad assigns you a job and he expects you to get it done and get it done the right way. I wasn’t always the best at that. I cut corners on my jobs around the farm and he made sure I was aware of that. He still bugs me about some of my old unfinished jobs that I have around the farm.
“But it was good. Definitely, I’m very thankful for being brought up on the farm the way I was.”
That upbringing largely framed how Kulak has gone about his business as a meat-and-potatoes by-the-book defenseman in the NHL for a dozen seasons.
The left-handed defenseman is on his fourth team after joining the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade with his hometown Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12.
So far with the Penguins, he has quietly gone about his duties in dependable fashion. In 18 games with the Penguins, he has three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 20:15 of ice time per contest.
Remember when the #SeaKraken tied it and you were feeling good about coming back? Life is fleeing and joy is ephemeral. Brett Kulak scores from distance after the Penguins win the faceoff. pic.twitter.com/Rm3QetfqdO
— ???????????????? ????????????????????' ???????????????????????? ???????????????? (@DavyJonesLR) January 19, 2026
“Obviously, he’s getting to know the systems and everything and the faceoff (designs), but as a player, he’s been pretty surprising,” said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Kulak’s most regular blue line partner since arriving in Pittsburgh. “He skates really well, he has some offense to his game, he’s really good defensively, he’s got a great stick. He’s been good.”
What has been a good development for Kulak is an increase in work as a member of the Penguins. His average ice time with the Penguins is more than two minutes greater than what he was clocking with the Oilers (17:42).
“You can ask any guy in the room, any player across the league, the more ice time you get, the better,” Kulak said in Cranberry on Dec. 27. “You want to be on the ice playing the game, being involved in the big moments. The more ice time allows you to do that. I’ll take as much as I can get.”
He got a bunch of ice time during a 2-1 home shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 13. With All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, Kulak’s pairing with Letang was elevated to becoming the Penguins’ top duo and Kulak was promoted to running the point on the second power-play unit (along with his typical duties on the penalty kill).
He ended up registering 25:56 of ice time that night, the fourth-highest figure of his career.
“Being out there as much as I would, I knew I was going to be north of 20 (minutes), especially getting three shifts or whatever in (overtime),” Kulak said of the inflated workload that game. “That always pushes you farther, too. You feel it. It’s awesome when your name keeps getting called. You’re off for a quick breather and you’re back out there going back to work. One of the most fun games I can remember for myself in recent history.
“You love being out there as much as you can.”
Kulak’s love for the game is evident by just being out there all the time.
As in, he hasn’t missed a game since March of 2022.
Through Wednesday, Kulak has played in 313 consecutive games, a streak that began during his time with the Oilers.
(Note: Kulak did not appear in two games after the Penguins acquired him due to a delay in clearing his immigration status. Given that he sat for reasons beyond his control, the NHL deemed his consecutive games played streak as “active.”)
It’s the ninth-longest active streak in the NHL. And it’s no small accomplishment considering the hard-scrabble style he employs. As a generally defensive defenseman, he typically is subject to all the cliches about that role, such as blocking shots and taking hits to get pucks out of the defensive zone.
“As I was coming in as a rookie and going through my career, you look at how veteran guys take care of their bodies,” Kulak said. “And how important that part of the game is to them, the stuff off the ice to make sure you’re recovering well and staying strong and ready for the game. As well, you’ve got to play smart at times too. You can’t be too reckless out there and put yourself in bad spots, take ugly hits and things like that.
“You’ve got to take hits to make plays but you’ve got to play smart too, at the same time. A lot of it comes down to luck.”
A fourth-round draft pick (No. 105 overall) in 2012 of the Calgary Flames, Kulak had the fortune of skating on a pairing in Calgary with former Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland upon breaking into the NHL in the mid-2010s.
“He was awesome for me as a young guy,” Kulak said. “He was a veteran at that point and had a lot of experience. What I got from him, he was just positionally sound, he was a physical guy and his consistency every day was just awesome. That’s things I’ve picked up from him and allowed him to have a long career.”
Kulak has carved out a lengthy career himself, having suited up in 629 regular season games entering Thursday’s road contest against the Oilers.
It was with the Oilers that Kulak played in each of the previous two Stanley Cup Finals, losing each time to the Florida Panthers.
“He’s a very simple man,” said Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was part of the same trade with the Oilers on Dec. 12. “He defends really well. He’s a player that you can really depend in the (defensive) zone, on the rush. Just anything to do with (defensive) work, you can really trust him. He’s got amazing gaps. He’s got amazing discipline the way that he works. He’s got a great stick, he gets on the body, he doesn’t let many guys get through.
“The biggest thing that I really appreciate from him is consistency every single day, whether it’s practice or back-to-back games or everyone’s tired or a crazy travel day. He seems to play the same way and that’s very rare to find. That’s why he’s so successful as a player and why every team he goes on, he brings huge impact to that team.”
Earlier in his career, Kulak lost the 2021 Stanley Cup final as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He has clearly enjoyed plenty of success in the NHL. Just not the ultimate success.
“It’s a hard league,” Kulak said. “You get down to those final two teams out of 32 and the games are tight, there’s next to no errors out there. And if there is, that’s likely the difference in the game. All three of those Finals could have went the other way, too.
“It’s just a matter of some bounces and some strong play at certain times and some pucks going in for you is what it came down to.”
Things have largely bounced in an agreeable fashion for Kulak since joining the Penguins. His most regular partner has been Letang, as they have registered 246:28 of common five-on-five ice time together according to Natural Stat Trick. Though that union was temporarily broken up on Wednesday in a 4-1 road win against the Calgary Flames due to Letang being sidelined by an undisclosed ailment.
Regardless, Kulak has found chemistry with Letang.
“One of my favorite partners that I’ve had,” Kulak said. “He’s obviously such a talented player (with) his focus and commitment to the game. I love his communication. Every time we come off the ice, we’re discussing something that happened out there. He makes great plays and he helps a lot.”
Letang suggests Kulak offers a similar skillset to his most notable defensive partner during his two decades with the Penguins, Brian Dumoulin.
“He skates as well or better,” Letang said. “They’re pretty similar. Skating-wise, (Dumoulin) was a really good skater and (Dumoulin) would have some instinct making plays. They’re pretty similar.”
While he has thoroughly enjoyed his nearly six weeks as a member of the Penguins, Kulak wasn’t necessarily eager to leave Edmonton, considering the success he enjoyed there as well as his connection to the area.
Rumors of a trade were rampant in hockey-mad Edmonton and they ultimately were manifested in the major deal that brought Kulak and Skinner to Pittsburgh in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.
Kulak, who just turned 32 on Jan. 6, professed to largely ignoring the speculation leading to the trade. But wasn’t completely surprised that he was moved.
“I feel like I’m pretty disconnected from that (speculation),” Kulak said. “The trade came as a pretty big surprise to me and my family for sure. In a contract, when you’re (an unrestricted free agent) at the end of the season, you never really know what’s going to happen. You have an idea that changes could happen easier.”
What Kulak does for a living isn’t easy, at least not in the context of hockey.
But in the context of his family, that’s another matter.
His 64-year-old father, Gil, still works the farm he owns with his wife, Laura. And older brothers Tyson, 37, and Kyle, 34, work for a crane service, often in Alberta’s rugged oil fields.
It’s not hard to figure out where Brett Kulak gets his sense of dependability.
“My dad is still the hardest working guy I know,” Kulak said. “He’s been that way ever since we were young kids. So, he set that example for us and instilled the work ethic in us. You’ve got to get up and get after it every day.
“I’m not always the most skilled guy or just (have) raw talent. Everyone in the room works hard but that’s something I’ve always had to lean on through good times in my career and through times my performance hasn’t been its best.”
Kulak is hoping to be at his best over the next three months (or beyond). As a pending unrestricted free agent, he could position himself for the final big payday of his career with a strong conclusion to this season.
He’s going to pursue that endeavor just like any Canadian farm boy would.
“For me, it’s contribute to this group,” Kulak said. “Keep making the most of my opportunity. They’ve been great here, giving me good ice time. You’ve got to break it down, day by day, one day at a time. Obviously, you want to perform the best you’ve ever performed and get a big contract. But you’ve got to chip away at it one step at a time.
“It’s a hard league and there’s a lot of really good players. For me, just a consistent work ethic and find ways to contribute to the team and win games here.”