Joe Nieuwendyk's Captaincy

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Known as one of the game's greatest snipers, Hull was an elite scorer at all levels of the game. He played college hockey for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, where he scored 52 goals in 1985–86. He scored 50 the following year with the Moncton Golden Flames of the American Hockey League (AHL) and had five consecutive NHL seasons of at least 50 goals. His 86 goals in 1990–91 is the third-highest single-season total in NHL history, with the first two being the same person, Wayne Gretzky. Hull won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award that year as the league's most valuable player. He was named a first team all-star on three occasions and played in eight NHL All-Star Games.

In Their Own Story

The lights in Reunion Arena hummed with a familiar intensity as Nieuwendyk skated toward center ice for the faceoff. The crowd was a sea of red and green, their anticipation palpable after years of near-misses. He adjusted his gloves, his eyes locked on the puck, embodying the calm resolve that had defined his captaincy. In this moment, the weight of the franchise's history rested not on the shoulders of a single star, but on the collective belief he had cultivated in every player around him.

Reader's Guide

Having dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, (after being cut from Team Canada) Hull was eligible to play for the United States internationally and chose to join the American National Team. He was a member of the team that won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and was a two-time Olympian, winning a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his father Bobby Hull. They are the first father-son combination to each score either of 600 goals or 1,000 career points in the NHL. Hull's nickname, 'the Golden Brett' is a reference to his father's nickname of 'the Golden Jet'. His jersey number 16 was retired by the St. Louis Blues in 2006.

Did You Know?

• Hull scored 86 goals in 1990–91, the third-highest single-season total in NHL history.
• He is one of five players to score 50 goals in 50 games.
• Hull won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award in 1991.
• He was a member of the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars and the 2002 Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings.
• Hull's jersey number 16 was retired by the St. Louis Blues in 2006.