| John Cullen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 2, 1964 Puslinch, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Right |
| Played for | Pittsburgh Penguins Hartford Whalers Toronto Maple Leafs Tampa Bay Lightning |
| National team |  Canada
|
| NHL Draft | 10th overall 1986 Supplemental Draft Buffalo Sabres |
| Playing career | 1987–1998 |
John Cullen (born Barry John Cullen on 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 & after the Buffalo Sabres selected him in the 1986 NHL Supplemental Draft but chose not to offer him a contract, John 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.
John's 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.
Playing Career
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 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 |
| International totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |||