Brian Cullen was the oldest of three brothers who played hockey in the NHL, and likely was the most well known. He began as a junior scoring star with the St. Catharines Teepees of the OHA in the early 1950s. In 1951-52, Cullen scored 30 goals and 61 points in 54 games for St. Catharines. The following year he was off playing professional hockey, first with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL. Despite playing just three games, he averaged two points per game on a goal and five assists.
In 1954-55, Cullen began the year in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets, starting 36 games and producing 36 points. The point-per-game production drew notice from the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, who called him up for 27 games, scoring three goals and eight points.
By far Cullen's most productive offensive season came in 1957-58 at the age of 25, when he scored 20 goals and 43 points. From a team standpoint, the closest Cullen and Leafs came to winning a Stanley Cup was the following year, when they advanced to the finals, but the Montreal Canadiens beat them four games to one.
Brian Cullen and his younger brother, Barry, played together with the Maple Leafs for four years between 1955 and 1959 before Brian moved on to New York to play with the Rangers and Barry headed west to suit up for the Detroit Red Wings. Younger brother Ray did not begin playing in the NHL until 1965. Brian Cullen's last year in the NHL was in 1960-61 as a member of the Rangers. He continued to play pro hockey for another two years with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL before retiring at the age of 29 to spend more time with his ailing wife.
