John Cullen

Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.

He was a standout player for Boston University and is the school's all-time leading scorer.

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.

He idolized his elder brother Terry, who was considered a top NHL prospect until Terry's career was ended when he suffered a broken neck after being hit from behind into the boards during a college 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.

At the same time, his mother Loretta was diagnosed with skin cancer.

Following her death early in his freshman year, Cullen contemplated returning to his Ontario home, but was convinced by his father to continue with both school and hockey.

He used the game to cope with the loss and dedicated every game he played to his mother's memory.

Cullen felt that the inspiration he drew from his mother's battle allowed him to become a better player.

Cullen was a standout with BU; he was named the East Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 1983–84 after leading his team in scoring with 56 points.

The National Hockey League passed him over, however, as he went unclaimed in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

He was named to the Hockey East All-Star Teams in 1985, 1986 and 1987, and a National Collegiate Athletic Association East Second Team All-American in 1986.

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.

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.

He led the league with 157 points, scoring 48 goals, and won the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy as league most valuable player while sharing the Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy with Ed Belfour as rookie of the year.

Cullen's outstanding season in Flint caught the attention of the Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He signed a contract with the Penguins for the league minimum, passing up a superior contract offer from Buffalo as he remained upset at how they released him the year before.

Cullen made his NHL debut in 1988–89, appearing in 79 games with the Penguins and scoring 49 points.

He was given a greater role with the Penguins the following year after Mario Lemieux missed 21 games due to a back injury and responded by scoring 32 goals and 92 points to finish third in team scoring.

Additionally, he played for Team Canada at the 1990 World Championship, scoring four points in ten games.

Cullen had his best season in 1990–91.

As one of the team's top offensive centres, he scored 94 points in the Penguins' first 65 games and played in his first NHL All-Star Game.

However, when Lemieux returned after missing an additional 50-games due to injury, Cullen's playing time and production declined.

The Penguins' needs led them to complete a blockbuster trade on March 1, 1991.

Cullen was sent to the Hartford Whalers, along with Zarley Zalapski and Jeff Parker in exchange for Hartford's all-time leading scorer, Ron Francis, along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings.

The Penguins almost turned down the deal as they were concerned about giving up Cullen's playmaking and leadership abilities, while his former teammates credited Cullen as being the primary reason they were in a playoff position at the time the trade happened.

After the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup that season, Phil Bourque later said it "broke his heart" that Cullen was not able to share in that championship.

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.

He scored 16 points in 13 regular season games to finish the season with 110 points combined between the Penguins and Whalers, and was the team's best player in their first round loss to the Boston Bruins in the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He initially accepted an invitation to join the Canadian team at the 1991 Canada Cup, but subsequently chose not to participate as his contract had expired, leading to greater insurance concerns.

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 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.

He graduated as BU's all-time scoring leader with 241 points, and was named to BU's Hockey East 25th anniversary team in 2009.