Cullen leaves Lightning for more family time

The coach and ex-player says it took 2 years to decide to enter the family business.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 13, 2000

John Cullen was being pulled in two directions.

On one side was the Lightning, the team for which he played for a little more than two seasons and coached for most of the past two. On the other was his determination to be with and do what is best for his family.

In the end, his family tugged harder.

The assistant coach, who became a heroic figure nationally for his successful battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, has decided to leave the Lightning and move to Atlanta. A job as a car salesman awaits at a Chevrolet dealership owned by his brother Terry.

"It took me about two years to make this decision," Cullen said Friday. "It was for a lot of reasons, but the one big decision was because of my family."

Cullen, 35, and Valerie, his wife of seven years, are expecting twins in October. They have a 4-year-old daughter, Kennedy. They will move in June.

The steady hours at the dealership, not to mention the lack of 10-day, five-city road trips, will give Cullen much-cherished time at home.

"It's going to be nice to have his mug around," Valerie said. "He's my best friend. It'll be nice to enjoy his company 100 percent of the time."

Cullen was a two-time All-Star and played for the Penguins, Whalers and Maple Leafs before finishing his 10-year career with the Lightning.

As an assistant coach, he worked with the special teams and watched games from the press box, sending information to the coaches on the bench.

"I think he did a great job," said Lightning general manager Rick Dudley, adding that he has not decided if he will fill Cullen's position. "He had a good sense of what was going on in the dressing room, and we're going to miss that."

Cullen was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last year for winning his battle with cancer, which forced him to miss the 1997-98 season, and his dedication to hockey. He said he will miss his interaction with Tampa Bay cancer patients.

"I can't tell you how many nights we've discussed this," Valerie said. "We've talked about it for two years, every single night of our lives. It was such a difficult decision."

Cullen said the decision was made easier when he realized he did not want to be a head coach and because of the example his father set. Barry Cullen played from 1955-60 with the Maple Leafs and Red Wings and now owns a car dealership outside Toronto.

"I always idolized my dad and wanted to be like him," Cullen said. "(Owning a car dealership) is something I always wanted to do. It's a whole different challenge."

As for starting as a salesman, Cullen said, "I'm going to start from the bottom. Any time you're going into business, you have to know what's going on."

He already has an edge on the competition. "I'll be the honest car salesman," he said.

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