In honor of the day, I'm going to give a quick Nodes of Gold entry, something I haven't done in a while. In fact, it's been so long that I probably need to remind you of what Nodes of Gold is: it's my series of tributes to the rich and famous who have overcome lymphoma. I'm talking Big Names: Mr. T. Artie Johnson. Gene Wilder. Golfer Paul Azinger. Hocket star Mario Lemieux.
I'm going to add another hockey star to the Nodes of Gold roster: John Cullen.
Cullen was born in Ontario, Canada (hence the whole Canada Day tribute) and played for 12 seasons in the NHL. Before that, he was a standout at Boston University (clearly, he was destined for greatness), and graduated as BU's all-time scoring leader. He was a teammate of fellow Nodes-of-Golder Lemieux in Pittsburgh (don't know how that Hodgkin's/Non-Hodgkin's rivalry went over, but I assume the two of them got along OK). He spent a few years up this way with the Hartford Whalers, too. He made two All-Star teams. He missed one season due to his lymphoma, but came back the next year, and was awarded the Bill Masterson Trophy for dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship.
"Sportsmanship" indeed -- here's a video of him getting a couple of decent shots in during a fight while the other guy headbutts him. No cheapshots from a BU Terrier, I'll tell you that. Just straight haymakers, like you're supposed to.
So, congratulations, John Cullen -- fellow BU grad, fellow lymphoma survivor, and NHL All-Star -- you've got Nodes of Gold!
Happy Canada Day, everyone. Dip into some poutine to celebrate.
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