The John Cullen Award was awarded annually by the International Hockey League to the player judged to contribute the most to his team, while overcoming adversity, including injury, illness, and other setbacks. The award was originally named the Comeback Player of the Year Award until 1999, when it was renamed after

John Cullen Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a stan ...

, who overcame

non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...

Winners

References

John Cullen Award
www.hockeydb.com
Comeback Player of the Year
www.hockeydb.com {{IHL (1945-2001) International Hockey League (1945–2001) trophies