Bobby Hull

Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, considered among the sport’s all-time greats. His nickname, “the Golden Jet,” came from his blonde hair, blistering speed, full-ice rushes, and a shot of extraordinary velocity. So dangerous was he that opponents often detailed a player solely to follow him.

Over 23 seasons (1957–1980), Hull played in the NHL and WHA for the Chicago Black Hawks, Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers. He twice won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and three times the Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader, and helped Chicago capture the Stanley Cup in 1961. With Winnipeg, he won Avco Cup championships in 1976 and 1978. He led the NHL in goals seven times—second-most all-time—and once led the WHA in goals, earning league MVP honors twice. His 77 goals in 1974–75 remain the WHA single-season record.

Hull entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and received the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2003. In 2017, he was named to the NHL’s “100 Greatest Players” list.

Born in Point Anne, Ontario, on January 3, 1939, to Lena Cook and Robert Edward Hull (a cement company foreman), he played minor hockey in Belleville and Junior B for the Woodstock Warriors, leading them to the 1955 Sutherland Cup. He later played for the Galt Black Hawks and St. Catharines Teepees before joining Chicago at age 18 in 1957.

Hull’s rookie season was strong, finishing second for the Calder Trophy. He initially wore numbers 16 and 7 before switching to number 9 in tribute to idol Gordie Howe. By his third season (1959–60), he led the league in both goals and points, repeating that double in 1961–62 and 1965–66. He drove Chicago to the 1961 Stanley Cup—their first in 23 years—and finished second in points three more times.

On March 12, 1966, Hull became the first NHL player to exceed 50 goals in a season, surpassing marks by Maurice Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, and himself. His 51st goal, against Cesare Maniago, drew a seven-minute standing ovation in Chicago Stadium. He finished with 54 goals, the highest total of the Original Six era, and set a points record of 97, one more than Dickie Moore’s mark. Stan Mikita tied that total the next year; Phil Esposito later broke it. Hull led the NHL in goals seven times in the 1960s and joined the 400-goal club on January 7, 1969.

In 1968–69, despite breaking his own goal record with 58 and posting a career-high 107 points (second in the league), Chicago missed the playoffs for the first time since his rookie year. By his final NHL season, he had scored 50 or more goals five times—only one fewer than all other NHL players combined at that point. He was named First-Team All-Star left winger ten times and Second-Team twice in his first 15 seasons. His slapshot was once clocked at 118.3 mph, his skating at 29.7 mph, and during his chase for 50 goals, his wrist shot was said to be harder than his slapshot.

Hull and teammate Stan Mikita sparked the 1960s fad of curved stick blades (“banana blades”), which made puck trajectories unpredictable and dangerous for goalies, few of whom wore masks. The resulting “Bobby Hull Rule” initially limited blade curvature to between ½ and ¾ inch, then to ½ inch in 1970. NHL Rule 10.1 still restricts curvature today.

Unhappy with his salary despite superstar status, Hull jokingly said he’d jump to the new WHA for a million dollars. Winnipeg Jets owner Ben Hatskin gathered league owners to fund the unprecedented sum, and on June 27, 1972, Hull signed a 10-year, $1.75 million contract plus a $1 million bonus as player-coach. Despite litigation delaying his debut, he became the WHA’s biggest star, winning the Gordie Howe Trophy as MVP in his first season despite bone chips in his elbow, scoring 51 goals. He won MVP again in 1974–75. With Swedish linemates Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, he formed “The Hot Line,” one of the decade’s best forward units, leading Winnipeg to two Avco Cups.