January 8, 2011
Hamburg's Cullen Backbones Sarnia
by Gene Morris/
John Cullen (photo: Metcalfe Photography)
Sarnia Sting goaltender John Cullen finished loading toys into a salvation army truck with teammates Joe Rogalski and Brent Sullivan. He was awaiting word on whether or not his team would be able to host a pair of weekend games against the Kitchener Rangers and Sault St. Marie Greyhounds because of a snow storm that had dumped nearly two feet of snow in the area.
For the life-long hockey addict from Hamburg, New York, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Growing up about an hour from Buffalo, the massive amount of snow was something Cullen had grown used to. It was a trade to the Sting that changed the dynamics of the goaltender's career on the ice. The move to a young and inexperienced club in Sarnia put more leadership responsibilities on his shoulders, something that he has obviously welcomed with open arms.
“I cannot remember hockey not being in my life,” the 19-year old Cullen said. “Ever since I laced up my skates it has been the life I wanted to live.“
He started out his youth career as a forward, but soon after decided to become a goaltender because of the influence of his hockey idol -- his brother Dan. “The position he played and the life that he lived playing hockey made it a dream of mine to do the same.”
Along with his brother, Cullen’s father and sister also played hockey. His sister Becky ended her career at the age of 13, and his father Thomas was not afforded the opportunity to try a professional career after the passing of his father forced him to take on more responsibilities in his household.
Cullen attributes much of the siblings' success to the devotion of their father. Although his brother’s career is now over -- he’s back in the Buffalo area studying to be a physicians assistant -- Cullen is certain of the impact his family had on his career.
“Words cannot describe what my family has done for me,” he said. “Waking up early to bring me to practice, taking on second jobs to pay for everything. It’s all means so much.”
Cullen began playing for the Maksymum Junior Hockey team based in Rochester before he made the jump to the Ontario Hockey League. He described jumping to the OHL as a “big step up” but credited the Maksymum organization as preparing him for the leap.
He split his first OHL season between the Niagara Ice Dogs and Kingston Frontenacs. He played in 30 games and compiled a 9-11-2-3 and 3.61 goals against average for the Ice Dogs before moving on to Kingston. He served as a backup during his only full year in Kingston before being traded to Sarnia, where he has become the starting goaltender.
Cullen said that although he grew up a Sabres fan, he modeled his game after the great Patrick Roy, surely someone many goaltenders of the '90s looked up to. He has taken on the role of leader for his young Sarnia team, just like his hockey hero. He takes this responsibility seriously, knowing that many of the young players look at him as a role model.
He says that any young player who wants to make a career out of hockey must work hard.
“I had a lot of people who did not believe I could make it growing up,” he said. “I just tried to prove them wrong with hard work. All it takes is one opportunity to get your break.”
Looking forward, he hopes to catch the biggest break of all -- to play in the National Hockey League. He realizes that playing professionally in North America would give him the fastest track to that goal, but knows that realistically he will probably have to go hone his skills over in Europe for a few seasons.
Either way it does not matter to the hockey lifer. Just playing hockey is enough for him.
“It is amazing to think about hockey as an income and a way to support my family,” he said. “I just play because I love it.”
