NHL AWARDS CEREMONY

June 24, 1999

John Cullen

JOHN CULLEN: John Cullen I just have one question for Gary Bettman tonight. That's, why do I have to go after Wayne (laughter)? It's an honor to share the dias with the greatest player that ever played this game. It's a real honor for me to win this award because of what it stands for. When I first got diagnosed with cancer, I thought I would treat it like an injury, a bad injury, and be back playing in six to seven months. But as the cancer persisted, I had to go through a bone marrow transplant. I thought getting back to the game at that time seemed impossible. So to get back to playing this year, to score my first goal against Dominik, the game winning goal was probably one of the best goals, even though it was exhibition. Probably one of the greatest accomplishments I ever did was to get back to play this game, but most of all just getting healthy. I have a lot of people to thank. I'd like to thank all the fans across the country, especially in Tampa for all their support. I'd like to thank the NHL and the NHL PA for taking on American and Canadian cancers research funds. We've raised already $1 million for cancer research. I would like to thank my agent Ron Salcer, who is here tonight who made me go see one of the top lymphoma specialists in Boston and probably saved my life. I'd also like to congratulate all the other guys on each team that were nominated, all the writers who voted me this award, and also all my family is here tonight. I'm really going to embarrass somebody right now. I want her to stand up. Stand up, Babe. When you go through something like I went through, you got to have somebody to complain to, someone to go get the nurses, someone to keep you up. Her name should be on this trophy, too. If I didn't have her, I'm not quite sure where I'd be. The number one thanks goes to my wife. Thank you, Babe.

JOHN CULLEN: I still look back and I just basically can't believe what I went through. I see people now when I go see them, I say, "That was me." I can't believe I was at that stage, for me to be healthy, I'm basically one of the lucky ones. Thank got I'm here.

JOHN CULLEN: I retired last year, as you know. I played the first month of Tampa, then Cleveland for a month. Then I retired. I was offered assistant coach Tampa Bay Lightning. I only had a one-year contract. Obviously Tampa is going through some different changes again. Hopefully I'll be able to stay there as an assistant coach.

JOHN CULLEN: Well, I missed a whole year, then I had to go through the bone marrow transplant. Just to get out there playing again, I just couldn't believe it. I mean, I don't know how many people saw the goal, but it was not too pretty. I just tipped it past him. I just got back to the bench, heard my name over the PA. It was just one of the best things I could hear because I knew I got back.

JOHN CULLEN: First of all, if I'm after Wayne, I'm going to go crazy here. I said thank God there was a commercial. Yeah, I mean, you know, when you go through cancer, it's emotional. It's an emotional time. When you have to talk about it and you have to talk in front of people, you have to bring up especially my family and my wife, because it was tough. There were some tough, tough times. That's emotional. When I get talking about it, sometimes I go, "Okay, I'll be calm, talk about it, no problem." Sometimes it gets emotional. When you fight any disease or anybody's going through anything, it's an emotional thing. It still is. It will be for the rest of my life because it's an ongoing battle to fight it.