Bobby Hull was a legendary Hall of Fame hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks.
Hull in the NHL
Nicknamed “The Golden Jet,” Hull was one of the greatest hockey players to ever lace up the skates. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1957 to 1972, leading the team to the 1961 Stanley Cup. Later, he jumped to the World Hockey Association (WHA) to play for the Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers. The Hall of Famer’s blazing speed and hard slapshot led him to 610 career NHL goals and another 303 goals with the World Hockey Association. In 1966, Hull broke the single season record for goals, becoming the first player ever to score more than 50 goals. Hull’s son Brett played for many years in the NHL and was also a prolific goal scorer.
Personal life
Hull’s life outside of hockey was much more controversial. He was accused of assault and battery by two of his wives in the early 80s and he also made pro-Nazi comments in an interview. He later said those comments were taken out of context. He repaired a strained relationship with the Black Hawks and was often seen at their games later in his life.
Hull and Mikita create the curved stick
Hull and his Hall of Fame teammate, Stan Mikita, pioneered the use of curved sticks in the game. It all happened rather miraculously. Mikita was skating around one day and his stick got caught in the boards and accidentally split. He kept shooting and was mesmerized at how much extra zip there was on shots. Mikita showed his findings to Hull and the curved stick never went away after that. The sticks that Mikita and Hull created have one of the best names of anything in sports: “banana blades.”
Notable quote
“It was the greatest time of my life. I’ve really never, ever had a job. I played hockey. And if you like what you’re doing, it’s not a job. And there were times in there when everything didn’t go my way, but no one ever said that life was all a bowl of cherries.” –from a 2010 interview with the National Post
Tributes to Bobby Hull
