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. 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 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.
| Position | Center/Centre |
| International Hockey |  CanadaWorld Championships (1990) |
| Club Hockey | Guelph Platers (Ontario Jr. Hockey League) Cambridge Shamrocks (Midwestern Junior B Hockey League) Cambridge Winter Hawks (OJHL) Boston University Terriers (ECAC NCAA) Flint Spirits (International Hockey League) Pittsburgh Penguins (National Hockey League) Hartford Whalers (NHL) Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL) |
| Awards and Honors | ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year (1983-84) All-Hockey East First Team (1984-85 & 1985-86) AHCA East Second-Team All-American (1985-86) All-Hockey East Second-Team (1986-87) Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy1 (Shared with Ed Belfour) (1987-88) James Gatschene Memorial Trophy2 (1987-88) Leo P. Lamoureux Memorial Trophy3(1987-88) IHL All Star (1987-88) Bill Masterton Trophy winner4 (1991) Namesake of the John Cullen Award5 |
Career Statistics
Transactions
| 1988-06-21 | Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins. |
| 1991-03-04 | Traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins with Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski to the Hartford Whalers for Ron Francis, Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson. |
| 1992-11-24 | Traded by the Hartford Whalers to the Toronto Maple Leafs for 2nd round draft pick (1993) (later traded to San Jose – San Jose selected Vlastimil Kroupa). |
| 1994-08-03 | Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins. |
| 1995-09-11 | Signed as a Free Agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning. |
| 1998-11-27 | Retired. Named Assistant Coach with Tampa Bay |
- Awarded annually to the Top Rookie in the International Hockey League ↩︎
- Awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player of the International Hockey League ↩︎
- Awarded annually to the Highest Point Scorer of the International Hockey League ↩︎
- Awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. ↩︎
- Awarded annually by the International Hockey League to the player judged to contribute the most to his team, while overcoming adversity, including injury, illness, and other setbacks. ↩︎