Brett Hull

Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964 in Belleville, Ontario) is a former NHL player, and the son of legendary player Bobby Hull. Though in the earliest years of his career few saw him as a potential star, the colorful and often outspoken Hull announced his retirement on October 15, 2005 with 741 career goals, placing him third on the all-time list.

Career

Hull was drafted out of the Junior A British Columbia Junior Hockey League's Penticton Knights as the 117th overall pick (sixth round) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames. Hull then played two years of U.S. college hockey for the University of Minnesota-Duluth before turning pro during the 1986 NHL playoffs. He spent most of the 1986-87 season with the minor league Moncton Golden Flames, being named to the AHL's First All-Star Team and receiving the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's top rookie, before being recalled to the NHL for good for the 1988 season. In March of that year, after repeatedly publicly criticizing the City of Calgary and the organization, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, for whom he played most of his career.

While in St. Louis, Hull developed into a prolific goal scorer with linemate Adam Oates and the duo were dubbed "Hull and Oates" (a pun on the well-known musical duo of Hall & Oates). In Hull’s best season, 1990-91, he scored 86 goals, the third highest mark ever recorded in one season, also setting a new record for right wingers in goals. That year he was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

Following the 1991-92 NHL season, the St. Louis Blues traded Adam Oates to the Boston Bruins for Craig Janney. Although talented, Janney was not to the calibre of Oates, a highly skilled passer and playmaker. Hull's production dropped off and he said he was never the same player without Oates.

Hull played eleven seasons for the Blues before signing with the Dallas Stars as a free agent before the 1999 season. He helped the Stars capture the Stanley Cup that season, scoring a controversial Cup-winning goal off his own rebound in the third overtime period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals against Buffalo Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek. Video replay showed that Hull's skate was in the crease, which the Sabres argued was a violation of a rule then in effect that disallowed goals if an offensive player was in the goal crease. The goal was reviewed as the Stars celebrated on the ice, but was allowed to stand by the video review officials, who ruled that Hull's three consecutive shots on Hasek, the third of which went in, constituted possession of the puck through to the end of the play (the rule allowed for a player to bring the puck into the crease and score). The legality of the goal is still debated, and it is arguably the most disputed Cup-winning goal in NHL history. The crease interfence rule, which was introduced in 1997 amid widespread criticism, was eliminated the following season, making the infamous goal all the more controversial. Hull and Hasek later won the Stanley Cup as teammates in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings.

On August 6, 2004, Hull signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, who unretired his father's uniform number 9 for him. Bobby Hull's #9 jersey had been originally retired by the franchise on February 19, 1989, when they were the Winnipeg Jets. The first year of the contract was nullified by the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and some argue the time off damaged Hull's game irreparably; when hockey restarted in 2005-06, Hull played only 5 games with the Coyotes before, dissatisfied with his performance, he announced his retirement on October 15, 2005. Reports indicate that Hull may return to the Dallas Stars in a front-office role; he has maintained ties to the Dallas area—his family lives in the area, and he previously indicated he would retire to Dallas after his playing days were over.

It was announced on June 29, 2006 that the St. Louis Blues will retire Hull's #16 jersey, during the 2006-2007 season. The University of Minnesota-Duluth retired his #29 jersey there on February 3, 2006 ^*.

Hull's Family life

His nickname is the "Golden Brett", in reference to his father, the "Golden Jet"; his US-born mother Joanne divorced Bobby Hull in 1978. Hull and his ex-wife Alison have three children, Jude, Jayde, and Crosby; he was engaged to be remarried as of February 2006.

Criticism

Hull often served as a magnet for criticism in his hockey career, often revolving around his relative defensive deficiencies. He was outspoken throughout his career, unafraid to talk about his team, city, fans, coaching, or the NHL as a whole. Hull carried on a well-reported feud with coach/GM Mike Keenan for several years while Keenan headed the Blues, was one of the first players to criticize the defense-first style of hockey that rose in the mid-1990s, and publicly criticized two U.S. coaches (Bob Johnson and Ron Wilson) during international competitions for not giving him the ice time he felt he was due.

In 1986, Hull made a decision that would earn him the lasting venom of Canadian hockey fans when, snubbed by Team Canada coach Dave King for a World Championships team made up of mostly NHL players, Hull elected to play for the United States (which sent a mostly-collegiate team) instead. Hull held American citizenship through his mother in addition to his Canadian citizenship by birthplace and father, but was mostly raised in Winnipeg and suburban Vancouver. As a mostly Canadian-trained player and the son of a Canadian hockey legend, fans north of the border viewed Hull as nothing less than a traitor for playing under the Stars and Stripes, particularly as his stardom grew.

Career achievements and facts

Finished his career with 741 goals (third all-time), 650 assists (48th all-time), 1391 points (19th all-time) and 1269 games (43rd all-time).
Named a NHL First Team All-Star in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1990.
Won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1991.
Won the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1991.
Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2001.
Scored 50 goals in 50 games twice in his career; only Wayne Gretzky, with three 50-50 seasons, has done it more often.
Won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award in 1987.

Career statistics

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1984-85	Minnesota-Duluth	NCAA	48	32	28	60	12
1985-86	Minnesota-Duluth	NCAA	42	52	32	84	46
1985-86	Calgary	NHL	--	--	--	--	--	2	0	0	0	0
1986-87	Moncton	AHL	67	50	42	92	16	3	2	2	4	2
1986-87	Calgary	NHL	5	1	0	1	0	4	2	1	3	0
1987-88	Calgary	NHL	52	26	24	50	12	--	--	--	--	--
1987-88	St. Louis	NHL	13	6	8	14	4	10	7	2	9	4
1988-89	St. Louis	NHL	78	41	43	84	33	10	5	5	10	6
1989-90	St. Louis	NHL	80	72	41	113	24	12	13	8	21	17
1990-91	St. Louis	NHL	78	86	45	131	22	13	11	8	19	4
1991-92	St. Louis	NHL	73	70	39	109	48	6	4	4	8	4
1992-93	St. Louis	NHL	80	54	47	101	41	11	8	5	13	2
1993-94	St. Louis	NHL	81	57	40	97	38	4	2	1	3	0
1994-95	St. Louis	NHL	48	29	21	50	10	7	6	2	8	0
1995-96	St. Louis	NHL	70	43	40	83	30	13	6	5	11	10
1996-97	St. Louis	NHL	77	42	40	82	10	6	2	7	9	2
1997-98	St. Louis	NHL	66	27	45	72	26	10	3	3	6	2
1998-99	Dallas	NHL	60	32	26	58	30	22	8	7	15	4
1999-00	Dallas	NHL	79	24	35	59	43	23	11	13	24	4
2000-01	Dallas	NHL	79	39	40	79	18	10	2	5	7	6
2001-02	Detroit	NHL	82	30	33	63	35	23	10	8	18	4
2002-03	Detroit	NHL	82	37	39	76	22	4	0	1	1	0
2003-04	Detroit	NHL	81	25	43	68	12	12	3	2	5	4
2005-06	Phoenix	NHL	5	0	1	1	0	--	--	--	--	--
NHL Totals			1269	741	650	1391	458	202	103	87	190	73

International play

Played for United States in:

1986 World Championships
1991 Canada Cup
1996 World Cup of Hockey (won championship)
1998 Winter Olympic Games
2002 Winter Olympic Games (won silver medal)

External links

Brett Hull at HockeyDraftCentral.com

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Brett Hull