FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Minnesota Wild center Matt Cullen has pledged a $1 million gift to a children’s hospital near his hometown.

The Wild and the Cullen Children’s Foundation announced the donation on Friday. Cullen and his wife, Bridget, formed the foundation in 2003 to fund children’s health care needs, with an emphasis on cancer. The gift is going to the Sanford Health Foundation in Fargo, N.D., across the Minnesota border from Cullen’s hometown of Moorhead.

The money will create a 3,000-square-foot, hockey-themed play and learning area for kids in the hospital. About three-fourths of the donation is for design, construction and furnishings, with the rest of the fund for a permanent endowment to support operations.

The 35-year-old Cullen is entering his third season with the Wild.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)