height_ft played_for shoots weight_lb birth_place career_end position draft_team height_in birth_date article_title draft ntl_team career_start
5 pittsburgh lightning penguins hartford whalers toronto maple leafs tampa bay right 187 puslinch , on , can 1998 centre buffalo sabres 10 02 august 1964 john cullen
 10th overall 1986 supplemental draft can 1987
john cullen

barry john cullen -lrb- born august 2 , 1964 -rrb- is a canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the national hockey league -lrb- nhl -rrb- 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 -lrb- ihl -rrb- 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 .
