TTM Stats
- Sent: 11/8/2021 | Received: 12/4/2021 | 26 Days
- ’90 Pro Set, 90 Score, ’90 Topps, ’91 Pro Set, ’91 Pro Set
- Address: Business (address from Sports Card Forum)
The Story of the Autograph
John Cullen is a former center in the NHL. He played from 1988 to 1999 with the Pittsburgh Penguins (twice), Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Cullen is a native of Ontario, Canada. His father and both of his uncles all played in the NHL. He attended Boston University where he graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer. The Buffalo Sabres chose him in the 1986 NHL Supplemental Draft but then chose not to offer him a contract. He played in the IHL and was the co-Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the league. From there the Penguins signed him and that started his NHL career.
He had some of his best years with the Penguins including two years of 30+ goals in 1989-’90 and 1990-’91. The second of those years he split with Pittsburgh and Hartford after being traded to the Whalers in a blockbuster deal that sent the Penguins Ron Francis (Hartford’s all-time leading scorer), Ulf Samuelsson, and Grant Jennings for Cullen, Zarly Zalapski and Jeff Parker. The Penguins didn’t want to let him go and Phil Bourque later said that it “broke his heart” that Cullen wasn’t part of their championship run.
He did his best to be the best for Hartford and continued his good scoring the following year with 26 goals. But that would be his last year of more than 20 goals in a season for the rest of his career and that year ended his run of All-Star appearances. He wouldn’t stay with any one team for more than a few years through his whole career.
In the 1996-’97 season he started feeling badly and after the team did some tests they found out he had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He began treatment immediately and the tumor was gone by September 1997. He would miss that entire season as he found out that he still had cancer cells in his body. He tried a comeback in 1998-’99 but only played four games before a demotion and then a fear that his cancer came back. The NHL gave him the Masterton Trophy after that season.
These days he helps run his brother’s car dealership.
The Score on John Cullen – 6.5
This is a great return from John. I always love getting old Hartford Whalers cards. Not that I am a fan of the Whale, but defunct hockey teams are always interesting and that logo is one of the greatest examples of positive and negative space in design. John’s signature is really loopy. I just wish these cards really showed it off for him.
Thanks Mr. Cullen! I’m giving this return a 6.5.
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Information gathered using Wikipedia and Hockey Reference.