John Cullen

Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who was a centre for ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for the Boston University Terriers, where he was a standout player, and is the school's all-time leading scorer. After the Buffalo Sabres selected him in the 1986 NHL supplemental draft but chose not to offer him a contract, Cullen signed with the Flint Spirits of the International Hockey League (IHL) for the 1987–88 season, where he was named the IHL's co-Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player after leading the league in scoring.

His career was halted in 1997 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He attempted a brief comeback in 1998 after an 18-month battle with the disease, for which the NHL awarded him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, before retiring to serve as an assistant coach for a year with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Cullen played in two NHL All-Star Games in his career. He joined his brother in the car dealership business after leaving the game, and briefly operated his own dealership until forced to close during the automotive industry crisis of 2008–10.

Early life Cullen was born in Puslinch, Ontario, on August 2, 1964. He is one of six children of Barry and Loretta Cullen. His father and uncles Brian and Ray all played in the NHL, and while Cullen and his three brothers all played as well, their father never pressured them, preferring that they enjoy the game. While his brother was highly sought by American universities, John received only two scholarship offers, choosing to play for Boston University (BU) in 1983. His other offer came from Ferris State University. He graduated as BU's all-time scoring leader with 241 points,

Passed over in the entry draft, Cullen was finally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1986 NHL supplemental draft. When the Sabres failed to offer him a contract, Cullen signed with the Flint Spirits of the International Hockey League (IHL) for the 1987–88 season.

In Hartford, Cullen worked to overcome the team's fans' disappointment at losing Francis. The Hartford fans initially booed him to show their dissatisfaction with the trade. Still without a contract when the 1991–92 season began, Cullen missed the first four games before signing a four-year deal with Hartford worth a total of $4 million. He returned to score 77 points in 77 games in his first full season with the Whalers and represented the team at the 1992 All-Star Game.

Cullen enjoyed immediate success with linemates Shawn Burr and Alexander Selivanov as the trio combined to score 130 points and helped lead the Lightning to the first playoff appearance in franchise history. They were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in five games while Cullen led the team in playoff scoring with three goals and three assists.

Cancer and comeback After two months of quietly dealing with his symptoms, Cullen's wife finally called team trainers and asked them to check into his illness. The team took an x-ray and found a large black shadow in his chest. He played his first game in nearly 18 months on September 18, 1998, in an exhibition game between the Lightning and Sabres at Innsbruck, Austria. Cullen scored the game-winning goal in a 3–1 victory, after which he said he sat on the bench in disbelief over how he was given a second chance. He was named to the roster and was greeted with a loud standing ovation by the fans in Tampa Bay when he was introduced prior to their season opening game. The Lightning assigned him to the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks, but also gave him the option of retiring and taking up a position as an assistant coach. He appeared in six games for Cleveland, and in one game against the Chicago Wolves tied an IHL record when he scored seven points in a 7–3 victory.

However, a bout of bronchitis led Cullen to fear that his cancer had returned. Tests came back negative, but after spending time with his family, he realized that neither he nor his family were interested in returning to Cleveland. In recognition of his comeback attempt, the NHL named him the 1999 winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for dedication and perseverance, while the IHL renamed its Comeback Player of the Year award the John Cullen Award.

Former Lightning head coach Terry Crisp has stated publicly that Cullen was a player that stood out as something special saying "John Cullen ... beat cancer and came back to play and helped us win."

Off the ice Cullen and his wife Valerie have three daughters, Kennedy and twins Karlyn and Kortland. Unwilling to spend so much time away from his family, he left the Lightning in 1999 and settled in the Atlanta area, joining his brother's car dealership in Jonesboro, Georgia. He has since returned to his brother's dealership, serving as its general manager. Cullen has spent time promoting the initiative.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1981–82 Guelph Platers OJHL 42 45 49 94 34 — — — — — 1982–83 Cambridge Winter Hawks OJHL 45 42 56 98 52 — — — — — 1983–84 Boston University ECAC 40 23 33 56 28 — — — — — 1984–85 Boston University HE 41 27 32 59 46 — — — — — 1985–86 Boston University HE 43 25 49 74 54 — — — — — 1986–87 Boston University HE 36 23 29 52 35 — — — — — 1987–88 Flint Spirits IHL 81 48 109 157 113 16 11 15 26 16 1988–89 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 12 37 49 112 11 3 6 9 28 1989–90 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 72 32 60 92 138 — — — — — 1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 65 31 63 94 83 — — — — — 1990–91 Hartford Whalers NHL 13 8 8 16 18 6 2 7 9 10 1991–92 Hartford Whalers NHL 77 26 51 77 141 7 2 1 3 12 1992–93 Hartford Whalers NHL 19 5 4 9 58 — — — — — 1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 47 13 28 41 53 12 2 3 5 0 1993–94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 53 13 17 30 67 3 0 0 0 0 1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 46 13 24 37 66 9 0 2 2 8 1995–96 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 76 16 34 50 65 5 3 3 6 0 1996–97 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 70 18 37 55 95 — — — — — 1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1998–99 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 6 2 7 9 0 — — — — — NHL totals 621 187 363 550 898 53 12 22 34 58

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 1990 Canada WC 4th 10 1 3 4 0 Senior totals 10 1 3 4 0

Awards Cullen is the namesake of the John Cullen Award, previously given to key IHL players.

Award Year College ECAC Rookie of the Year 1983–84 All-Hockey East First Team 1984–851985–86 AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1985–86 All-Hockey East Second Team 1986–87 IHL Gary F. Longman Memorial TrophyJames Gatschene Memorial TrophyLeo P. Lamoureux Memorial TrophyFirst Team All-Star 1987–88 NHL Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 1998–99