Nicknamed The Golden Jet for his blond hair and his jet-like slap shot, Bobby Hull was the most feared goal scorer of the 60s and 70s He and teammate Stan Mikita were the first NHL players to use curved stick blades, which made his already wicked slapshot even more difficult to stop.
Hull was born and raised on a dairy farm near Belleville, Ontario. By his teenage years it was apparent that he was on a fast track to NHL stardom, and he joined the Chicago Blackhawks not long after his 18th birthday. He would finish second in the leagues rookie of the year balloting in his first season and within a couple of years would become one of the NHLs marquee superstars. By the third year in the league, he was already a fixture at the top of the goal and point scoring charts and would lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup championship in 1961.
Hull made history in 1966 by becoming the first player to score more than 50 goals in a season. His 51st goal surpassed Montreal Canadiens' legends Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion and Maurice Rocket Richard and earned him a 7 minute standing ovation from the home crowd at Chicago Stadium.
Hulls tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks ended in 1972, when he jumped to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). Hull signed for an at the time unprecedented $1,000,000 signing bonus. Initially, Hulls response that he would jump ship for a million bucks was an offhanded joke but when the WHA ownership agreed to contribute to that sum thinking that it would provide instant credibility for the league it became a reality.
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.
Modern fans may be more familiar with Hulls third son, Brett Hull, who earned NHL superstar status in his own right. Like his dad, Hull was a prolific goal scorer with a scary slapshot and will be inducted 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. - 16887
Hull was born and raised on a dairy farm near Belleville, Ontario. By his teenage years it was apparent that he was on a fast track to NHL stardom, and he joined the Chicago Blackhawks not long after his 18th birthday. He would finish second in the leagues rookie of the year balloting in his first season and within a couple of years would become one of the NHLs marquee superstars. By the third year in the league, he was already a fixture at the top of the goal and point scoring charts and would lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup championship in 1961.
Hull made history in 1966 by becoming the first player to score more than 50 goals in a season. His 51st goal surpassed Montreal Canadiens' legends Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion and Maurice Rocket Richard and earned him a 7 minute standing ovation from the home crowd at Chicago Stadium.
Hulls tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks ended in 1972, when he jumped to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). Hull signed for an at the time unprecedented $1,000,000 signing bonus. Initially, Hulls response that he would jump ship for a million bucks was an offhanded joke but when the WHA ownership agreed to contribute to that sum thinking that it would provide instant credibility for the league it became a reality.
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.
Modern fans may be more familiar with Hulls third son, Brett Hull, who earned NHL superstar status in his own right. Like his dad, Hull was a prolific goal scorer with a scary slapshot and will be inducted 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. - 16887
About the Author:
Ross Everett writes about sports and recreation topics, though his specialties are hockey, sports betting and fight sports including boxing and mixed martial arts. He is a well known expert on how to successfully bet on UFC fights, as well as a statistical consultant for a number of casinos, sports books and other clients. He will be hosting a hockey themed streaming audio podcast starting in late 2009.
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