Bobby Hull"nicknamed The Golden Jet for his blond hair and his style of play"was the most feared goal scorer of the 60s and 70s and along with teammate Stan Mikita made the Chicago Blackhawks one of the NHLs true offensive juggernauts. He and Mikita were the first NHL players to use curved stick blades, which made his already wicked slapshot even more difficult to stop.
Born in rural Belleville, Ontario Hull rose quickly through the ranks of junior hockey and by the time he was 18 had joined the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. He was a very effective rookie, and by his third year in the league was leading the NHL in scoring. In 1961, he played an important role in the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championship victory.
In 1966, Hull broke a hallowed NHL scoring mark by becoming the first player to net more than 50 goals in a season. His 51st goal broke the record of 50 goals held by Montreal Canadien greats Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion and Maurice Rocket Richard. Hull would go on to score 54 goals in the 1966 and would surpass that mark by scoring 58 in 1968. These numbers arent surprising in light of his slapshots deadly speed and accuracy"Hulls shot was once clocked at a mind boggling 118 MPH!
In 1972, Hull signed a then unprecedented deal to jump to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). His compensation included a $1 million US signing bonus which all of the league's owners contributed to realizing the significance of landing Hull in terms of publicity and credibility.
The NHL attempted to prevent Hulls jump to the WHA via litigation, but eventually he would join the Winnipeg Jets and resume his offensive dominance. On a line with Swedish superstars Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg called The Hot Line, he led the Jets to two league championship AVCO Cup victories. In 1977, he set a new professional hockey record with 77 goals in a season which surpassed Phil Espositos 1970-71 mark of 76 by a single goal.
Hull suffered from knee trouble throughout his career and was off the ice more than on it during the WHAs final season of 1979-80. After appearing in a handful of games for the Jets, he was shipped to the Hartford Whalers for future considerations. He would play in a few games for the Whalers before calling it a career. With the exception of an abortive comeback attempt with the New York Rangers in 1981 that was the end of his professional hockey career.
Hull's legacy lived on in flesh and blood with his third son, Brett Hull. The Hulls are the only father/son combination to ever score 50 goals in an NHL season and Brett will follow his father into the Hall of Fame this year.
Hull is still in good health and splits his time between Canada and Chicago, IL. He currently serves as a PR ambassador for the Blackhawks organization. He is expected to formally induct his son into the Hall of Fame at the ceremonies later this summer.
Born in rural Belleville, Ontario Hull rose quickly through the ranks of junior hockey and by the time he was 18 had joined the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. He was a very effective rookie, and by his third year in the league was leading the NHL in scoring. In 1961, he played an important role in the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championship victory.
In 1966, Hull broke a hallowed NHL scoring mark by becoming the first player to net more than 50 goals in a season. His 51st goal broke the record of 50 goals held by Montreal Canadien greats Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion and Maurice Rocket Richard. Hull would go on to score 54 goals in the 1966 and would surpass that mark by scoring 58 in 1968. These numbers arent surprising in light of his slapshots deadly speed and accuracy"Hulls shot was once clocked at a mind boggling 118 MPH!
In 1972, Hull signed a then unprecedented deal to jump to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). His compensation included a $1 million US signing bonus which all of the league's owners contributed to realizing the significance of landing Hull in terms of publicity and credibility.
The NHL attempted to prevent Hulls jump to the WHA via litigation, but eventually he would join the Winnipeg Jets and resume his offensive dominance. On a line with Swedish superstars Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg called The Hot Line, he led the Jets to two league championship AVCO Cup victories. In 1977, he set a new professional hockey record with 77 goals in a season which surpassed Phil Espositos 1970-71 mark of 76 by a single goal.
Hull suffered from knee trouble throughout his career and was off the ice more than on it during the WHAs final season of 1979-80. After appearing in a handful of games for the Jets, he was shipped to the Hartford Whalers for future considerations. He would play in a few games for the Whalers before calling it a career. With the exception of an abortive comeback attempt with the New York Rangers in 1981 that was the end of his professional hockey career.
Hull's legacy lived on in flesh and blood with his third son, Brett Hull. The Hulls are the only father/son combination to ever score 50 goals in an NHL season and Brett will follow his father into the Hall of Fame this year.
Hull is still in good health and splits his time between Canada and Chicago, IL. He currently serves as a PR ambassador for the Blackhawks organization. He is expected to formally induct his son into the Hall of Fame at the ceremonies later this summer.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance writer specialing in hockey, sports betting and mixed martial arts. He is a well known expert on how to successfully bet on UFC fights, as well as a consulting handicapper for a number of casinos, sports books and other clients. He will be hosting a hockey themed streaming audio podcast starting in late 2009.
0 comments:
Post a Comment