Brian Cullen was born in Ottawa on November 11, 1933. He moved to St. Catharines in 1951 when he joined the St. Catharines Teepees hockey team. In his first season he was recognized as the OHA Junior A League’s top rookie. He also never missed a single game of his first three seasons. By the end of the third season he was the Captain of the Teepees and had led his team to the city’s first Memorial Cup. In 1954 he was recognized as the league’s MVP and was awarded with the Red Tilson Trophy. He also won the Eddie Powers Trophy by setting new league records with 68 goals, 93 assists and a total of 161 points. These records were not broken for 34 years. Cullen also played centre on the famous CBC line which finished the 1953-1954 season with a record 389 points. Cullen was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1954 and played with them until 1959 when he was traded to the New York Rangers. After 2 years with the Rangers, Cullen played for the AHL Buffalo Bison’s who won the Calder Cup in 1963.
In total, Cullen played 326 regular season NHL games and had 156 points. He was inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Beginning in 1966, Cullen became a car dealer and was very successful. He owned Brian Cullen Motors in St. Catharines which is one of the largest GM dealerships in Niagara. He also owned 2 GM dealerships in Niagara Falls and a Toyota car business in Cambridge.
For many years Cullen took interest in horses and became a leading thoroughbred horse breeder and owner. In 1985 his horse “Pre Emptive Strike” placed third in the Queen’s Plate. Brian Cullen was married to Carol Anne Lowery who passed away at age 76 on September 15th, 2012. They were married for 57 years. Together they had 5 children; Cindy, Carrie, Bob, Brian and Christine. They also had 13 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

As of 2014 Brian Cullen was still a resident of St. Catharines.