Bobby Hull

Robert Marvin Hull, born January 3, 1939 in Pointe Anne (near Belleville), Ontario, Canada, is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game.

He played his minor hockey in Belleville, and then junior hockey for the St. Catharines Teepees in the Ontario Hockey Association, before joining the Chicago Blackhawks in 1957 at the age of 18.

NHL career

Nicknamed, "The Golden Jet", he led the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1960-1961 - their third (and last so far) ever and first in 23 years. Hull originally wore numbers 16 and 7 as a Blackhawk but would later switch to his famous number 9. Bobby Hull was famous for his blinding speed and possessed the most feared slapshot in his day. He and his teammate, Hall of Famer Stan Mikita, became notorious for curving the blades of their sticks. Armed already with a blazing, heavy shot, the curved blade caused the puck to veer high and at all different angles. Hull's ability to harness the blade's unpredictability would make it one of hockey's most memorable signatures.

Although he was only 5'10" in stature, Bobby had a solid build and his playing weight was approximately 185 pounds. His flowing blonde hair, good looks and electrifying style would make him one of hockey's first international superstars.

In 1966, he became one of the first NHL players to score more than 50 goals in a season, earning a 7-minute standing ovation for his 51st goal. He played 23 professional seasons in Professional Hockey from 1957 to 1980, scoring 1,018 goals. He finished his NHL career in 1979-80 with the Winnipeg Jets and a few games with the Hartford Whalers. In Hartford, he would play on a line with another NHL great, 52 year old Gordie Howe.

Career Statistics

Regular Season Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM 1957-58 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 13 34 47 62 1958-59 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 18 32 50 50 1959-60 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 39 42 81 68 1960-61 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 67 31 25 56 43 1961-62 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 50 34 84 35 1962-63 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 31 31 62 27 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 43 44 87 50 1964-65 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 39 32 71 32 1965-66 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 54 43 97 70 1966-67 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 66 52 28 80 52 1967-68 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 71 44 31 75 39 1968-69 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 74 58 49 107 48 1969-70 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 38 29 67 8 1970-71 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 78 44 52 96 32 1971-72 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 78 50 43 93 24 1979-80 Winnipeg/Hartford NHL 27 6 11 17 0

NHL Totals 1063 610 560 1170 640

NHL awards

Won the Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's scoring champion three times; (1960, 1962, 1966)
Twice voted the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player; (1965, 1966)
Ten times he was named to the NHL's First All-Star team. (1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972)
Twice named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team; (1963, 1971)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (1965)
Lester Patrick Trophy (1969)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Post NHL

Bobby Hull jumped to the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets in 1972 for an unprecedented contract worth $1,000,000 over 10 years. Hull won higher salaries for his fellow players across the board and gave instant credibility to the new rival league that was competing directly against the entrenched NHL. Though the league folded in 1979 (with four of its teams including the Winnipeg Jets joining the NHL), it was reborn in 2003 and they named him as their Commissioner - see the New World Hockey Association page.

Because he joined to the rival league, Hull was not allowed to represent Team Canada that was comprised of NHL stars in the 1972 Summit Series. However; in 1974 he got his chance to play on an international stage when he suited up for the WHA team representing Canada in a series against the great USSR national team. The WHA lost the series 4 games to 1, (3 ending in a tie). He was a key member of the Canadian squad that won the 1976 Canada Cup.

In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

In 1998, Hull got involved in a controversy with the Russian media when he allegedly made pro-Nazi comments. He later claimed the interviewer misunderstood him in the translation.

A member of one of the great Hockey families, his son, Brett Hull (the Golden Brett), was also a star in the National Hockey League. Bobby's younger brother, Dennis Hull (sometimes referred to as "the Silver Jet.") played alongside him with the Chicago Black Hawks. While playing for the Phoenix Coyotes (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) in 2005, son Brett donned his father's retired #9 for the last five games of his career. Bobby Hull's other brother Garry, who was a farmer, was signed to a try-out contract by the World Hockey Association's Ottawa Nationals, who billed Garry as the greatest Hull of all. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering his lack of high-level hockey experience, Garry never played a regular-season game with the Nationals.

References

Career Overview and Biography - by ESPN
Bobby Hull at hockeyDB

Bobby Hull | Bobby Hull | ボビー・ハル | Bobby Hull

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NHL career

Career Statistics

NHL awards

Post NHL

See also

References