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April 16, 2016

Barry Cullen

Barry Cullen was one of a trio of highly acclaimed brothers to dominate the junior hockey scene with the St. Catherines Teepees.

Barry followed in his brother Brian's footsteps. joining his older brother and the Teepees in time to win the Memorial Cup championship in 1954 with mind-numbing offensive totals. Younger brother Ray would repeat that success in 1960, ensuring the family's lofty place in junior hockey history.

Despite the greatness achieve at that level, all three found mixed results at the NHL level. Brian played 326 NHL games. Ray played 313. Barry played in 219 games over parts of five seasons with Toronto and Detroit.

Brian and Barry tried cracking the Leafs lineup in the 1950s, but their freestyle offensive game was not a good match for the hard hitting, defense first game plan the Leafs used at the time

"I felt that probably, maybe, I didn't get the chance. Maybe all players think that," Barry said, with a hint of regret.

But not much regret.

"The best thing that ever happened to us was that we didn't have more success in hockey because we got out early," Barry said.

Brian befriended a Toronto car dealer who introduced him to the car sales industry. Soon all three brothers would own multiple dealerships and running one of the most successful General Motors empires in all of Canada.

Barry's son John would one day follow in his footsteps, getting into the dealership business. But not before he followed his dad's skate-steps, playing in 621 NHL games in the 1990s.

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