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WINNIPEG — Bobby Hull once proudly said that he played the way he lived — straightforward.
The Hockey Hall of Famer, who electrified fans through the 1960s and 70s, died on Monday at the age of 84. Hull played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks before a jump to the Winnipeg Jets of the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972, a move that led to lawsuits but ultimately higher salaries for hockey players.
Controversy often swirled around Hull off the ice, including allegations of spousal abuse and a 1986 criminal conviction for assaulting a police officer. A quote attributed to him in a Moscow Times article voiced support of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, although Hull denied making the comment and sued the English-language paper for libel.
Hull helped lead the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 23 years in 1961, and is 55th on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 610 goals and 560 assists. He also had 303 goals and 335 assists in the WHA for combined total of 913 goals in both leagues in 1,474 games.
To put that into context, Wayne Gretzky has a combined total of 940 goals in both leagues over 1,567 games, although all but 80 of those were in the NHL.
“When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey.
“As gregarious a personality as he was explosive as a player, Hull was a true superstar and the face of the Chicago Blackhawks throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s."
Hull's 604 goals with the Blackhawks remain a team record.
"Hull is part of an elite group of players who made a historic impact on our hockey club," the Blackhawks said in a statement. "Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby's shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership."
Hull was the first player in the NHL history to score more than 50 goals in a season. He set the record of 54 in 1966 and broke it by four goals a couple of seasons later.
Along with Chicago teammate Stan Mikita, he helped popularize the curved hockey stick blade in the NHL. He would first soak the wooden blade, then bend it under a door and leave it overnight. It made Hull's slapshot, clocked at close to 200 kilometres per hour, even harder for a goalie to stop.
His defection to the WHA in 1972 was the catalyst that helped shatter the NHL's contractual stranglehold on players. It also started the escalation of salaries that now make Hull's once record-setting million-dollar payday look like small change.
There were plenty of hard feelings at the time on both sides, but in 2011 a statue of Hull was erected alongside one of Mikita outside the United Center, where Chicago now plays.
"I never, ever thought in 100 years I'd ever be standing here tonight," Hull said at the unveiling.
Robert Marvin Hull Jr., was born Jan. 3, 1939 in Pointe Anne, Ont., now part of the city of Belleville, and was 12 when he was first scouted by Chicago. He started playing with the Blackhawks in 1957 when he was just 18.
He was regarded as the fastest skater in the NHL and led the league in scoring seven times in the 1960s. When he left the NHL in 1972 for the WHA, he was second on the all-time scoring list behind only Gordie Howe, and Howe had been in the league for an extra decade.
"It was sort of a dream that came true," said Joe Daley, Hull's teammate on the Jets who is from the Winnipeg area. "You always hope that you get a chance to have wonderful teammates, and I got lucky in having him here.
"Certainly, what he brought to Winnipeg and the way he conducted himself with every fan in every city, it was amazing to see."
Although not large by modern standards (five-foot-10 and just under 190 pounds), the muscular Hull was not afraid to scrap. In 1966 when he set his first scoring record, he also had 70 penalty minutes in 65 games.
In an era when few players worked out in the off-season, Hull stayed in shape throwing around bales of hay on his farm — which led to a still iconic black and white photo of the shirtless Hull in action, a bale on the end of his pitchfork.
In 1978, Hull was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 jersey was retired by both the Blackhawks and the old Winnipeg Jets (who moved to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Coyotes before the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011 and reclaimed the Jets name).
Son Brett Hull became a star and Hall of Famer in his own right as a star scorer with St. Louis and Dallas and is 25th on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
Hull renewed ties with the the Jets after their return to Winnipeg.
“I was lucky enough I actually got to meet Bobby Hull. He was an awesome guy to meet," Jets forward Mark Scheifele said. "Obviously, a moment that I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
"He was a guy that revolutionized the game and was one of the stars and made hockey what it is today," Scheifele added. "So we wouldn't be where we are without him."
Scheifele called Hull a Winnipeg "legend."
"He always will be," Scheifele said. "He's something that made hockey what it is in the world, and especially in Winnipeg. Obviously, his legacy will always be there forever."
Hull said he loved his years in Chicago and the fans, but the organization didn't love him as much. He resented what he was paid, as did many in the league at that time, and got into high-profile disputes over money with the Wirtz family that owned the team.
In 1972, he became the linchpin around which the WHA was formed and the first hockey player to earn a million dollars, his signing bonus for joining the new league with the Jets.
Although some resented him for the leap, Mikita once said he got down on his knees and thanked his former teammate and the Jets — his salary doubled almost overnight because of the competition.
But the move cost Hull a chance to play in the 1972 Summit Series when the NHL refused to let him join Team Canada. He made up for it in 1974, when a team of Canadians from the WHA met the Soviet Union in a second Summit Series, and again when he played in the 1976 Canada Cup.
Nicknamed the Golden Jet for his speed and blond hair (even before he joined the Jets), Hull spent eight seasons with the team, the last in the NHL, and helped make them one of the strongest clubs in the WHA. They won three Avco Cups, the league's ultimate prize, in the seven years it was awarded, and were runners-up twice.
Hull played only part of the final Jets' final WHA season in 1978-79, and returned only briefly the next season when Winnipeg joined the NHL as the two leagues merged. He moved to the Whalers, who also jumped to the NHL, for nine games that same season.
He was 42 when he made a brief comeback attempt with the New York Rangers in 1981 before finally hanging up his skates.
An acrimonious divorce from his second wife of 20 years, Joanne — which included numerous allegations of abuse — cost him a stake he owned in the original Jets.
He returned to farming/ranching during the early years of his time away from hockey and then settled in Florida with third wife Deborah.
Although their marriage lasted, he also was accused by her of assault in 1986. She dropped the charges but the police officer who Hull took a swing at during the investigation did not. He was fined $150 and placed on six months court supervision.
He stoked more controversy when in 1998 the Moscow Times, an English-language newspaper, alleged that Hull said in an interview that the Nazis were not without merit, the Black population of the United States was growing too fast and genetic breeding was a worthy idea.
"Hitler, for example, had some good ideas. He just went a little bit too far,″ Hull, who was visiting Russia, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Hull denied making the comment, calling it "false and defamatory."
The Blackhawks brought him back as a team ambassador in 2008 and he was on hand for their 2010 Stanley Cup win. It was their first Stanley Cup since 1961.
Credit: https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/chicago-blackhawks-legend-hof-forward-bobby-hull-dead-at-84-1.1912947
CHICAGO — (AP) — When Bobby Hull got the puck, he was tough to stop. He had blazing speed, a hard slap shot and tons of confidence.
Long before today’s biggest stars took the ice, “The Golden Jet” put on quite a show.
Hull, a Hall of Fame winger and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, has died. He was 84.
The Blackhawks and the NHL Alumni Association announced Hull's death on Monday. There were no further details provided by either organization.
The Blackhawks said Hull "delivered countless memories to our fans, whom he adored. Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby’s shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership that led to 604 career goals, a franchise record that remains to this day. We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family.”
Hull was one of the most prolific forwards in NHL history, scoring 610 times during his 16-year career with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg. Nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his speed and blond hair, he also collected 303 goals while playing for the Jets in the World Hockey Association for seven seasons.
While Hull starred on the ice, he faced legal and family issues in his personal life.
Hull was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened in a dispute with then-wife Deborah in 1986. He also was accused of battery, but that charge was dropped after Deborah told authorities she didn’t want to testify against her husband, a state attorney told the Chicago Tribune.
Hull’s second wife, Joanne, accused him of abuse during an interview with ESPN for a 2002 show.
A Russian newspaper reported in 1998 that Hull said Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.” Hull denied making the comment, calling it “false and defamatory.”
Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks that same year. He was estranged from the team for a while before he was named a Blackhawks ambassador in a ceremony with former teammate Stan Mikita in 2008. Hull and Mikita have adjacent statues outside the United Center.
The franchise announced in February 2022 that Hull had retired from any official team role, calling it a joint decision.
“Bobby Hull will always be remembered as one of the greatest Blackhawks players of all time. He was a beloved member of the Blackhawks family," team owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement.
“When I assumed leadership of the organization upon my father’s passing in 2007, one of my first priorities was to meet with Bobby to convince him to come back as an ambassador of the team. His connection to our fans was special and irreplaceable.”
Hull’s brother, Dennis, played for Chicago for most of his 14 years in the league, and Bobby’s son, Brett, spent 19 years in the NHL. Bobby and Brett each won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. Bobby won in 1964-65 and 1965-1966, while Brett won in 1990-1991.
In a statement released by the St. Louis Blues, for whom he works as an ambassador, Brett Hull said his father gave his family and others "a tremendous amount of great memories."
“Those of us who were lucky enough to spend time with him will cherish those forever,” Hull said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Bobby Hull helped the Blackhawks return to the top of the NHL after they were one of the worst teams in the league for years before his debut during the 1957-58 season. He had 13 goals and 34 assists in his first campaign with the team, finishing second in the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year.
It was a steady rise from there. Hull posted 13 consecutive seasons with 30 goals or more from 1959-72, becoming a perennial fixture at the All-Star Game and a regular candidate for the league’s top awards.
Hull and Mikita powered Chicago to the franchise’s third championship in 1961, beating Montreal and Detroit in the playoffs. Hull had two goals and five assists as the Blackhawks eliminated the Red Wings in six games in the final.
The Pointe Anne, Ontario, native remains Chicago’s career leader for regular-season and playoff goals. He is second to Mikita on the franchise points list with 1,153.
Hull left the Blackhawks after the 1971-72 season when he was selected by Winnipeg in the WHA draft. The Jets lured Hull away from the NHL with hockey’s first $1 million contract, according to his bio on the Hall of Fame website.
The NHL and WHA merged in 1979, and Hull played 27 games with Winnipeg and Hartford in his final season before retiring.
Hull had 560 assists in 1,063 regular-season NHL games. In addition to his two Hart trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league leader in points and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with stellar play.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement called Hull “a true superstar with a gregarious personality.”
“When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves," Bettman said. "During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey. ... We send our deepest condolences to his son, fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Brett; the entire Hull family; and the countless fans around the hockey world who were fortunate enough to see him play or have since marveled at his exploits.”
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Credit: https://www.wokv.com/sports/hall-famer-bobby/EU7Z3JBVENUHYKTLTON6PFKPV4/
When Bobby Hull got the puck, he was tough to stop. He had blazing speed, a hard slap shot and tons of confidence.
Long before today’s biggest stars took the ice, “The Golden Jet” put on quite a show.
Hull, a Hall of Fame winger and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, has died. He was 84.
The Blackhawks and the NHL Alumni Association announced Hull’s death on Monday. There were no further details provided by either organization.
The Blackhawks said Hull “delivered countless memories to our fans, whom he adored. Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby’s shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership that led to 604 career goals, a franchise record that remains to this day. We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family.”
Hull was one of the most prolific forwards in NHL history, scoring 610 times during his 16-year career with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg. Nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his speed and blond hair, he also collected 303 goals while playing for the Jets in the World Hockey Association for seven seasons.
While Hull starred on the ice, he faced legal and family issues in his personal life.
Hull was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened in a dispute with then-wife Deborah in 1986. He also was accused of battery, but that charge was dropped after Deborah told authorities she didn’t want to testify against her husband, a state attorney told the Chicago Tribune.
Hull’s second wife, Joanne, accused him of abuse during an interview with ESPN for a 2002 show.
A Russian newspaper reported in 1998 that Hull said Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.” Hull denied making the comment, calling it “false and defamatory.”
Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks that same year. He was estranged from the team for a while before he was named a Blackhawks ambassador in a ceremony with former teammate Stan Mikita in 2008. Hull and Mikita have adjacent statues outside the United Center.
The franchise announced in February 2022 that Hull had retired from any official team role, calling it a joint decision.
“Bobby Hull will always be remembered as one of the greatest Blackhawks players of all time. He was a beloved member of the Blackhawks family,” team owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement.
“When I assumed leadership of the organization upon my father’s passing in 2007, one of my first priorities was to meet with Bobby to convince him to come back as an ambassador of the team. His connection to our fans was special and irreplaceable.”
Hull’s brother, Dennis, played for Chicago for most of his 14 years in the league, and Bobby’s son, Brett, spent 19 years in the NHL. Bobby and Brett each won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. Bobby won in 1964-65 and 1965-1966, while Brett won in 1990-1991.
Bobby Hull helped the Blackhawks return to the top of the NHL after they were one of the worst teams in the league for years before his debut during the 1957-58 season. He had 13 goals and 34 assists in his first campaign with the team, finishing second in the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year.
It was a steady rise from there. Hull posted 13 consecutive seasons with 30 goals or more from 1959-72, becoming a perennial fixture at the All-Star Game and a regular candidate for the league’s top awards.
Hull and Mikita powered Chicago to the franchise’s third championship in 1961, beating Montreal and Detroit in the playoffs. Hull had two goals and five assists as the Blackhawks eliminated the Red Wings in six games in the final.
The Pointe Anne, Ontario, native remains Chicago’s career leader for regular-season and playoff goals. He is second to Mikita on the franchise points list with 1,153.
Hull left the Blackhawks after the 1971-72 season when he was selected by Winnipeg in the WHA draft. The Jets lured Hull away from the NHL with hockey’s first $1 million contract, according to his bio on the Hall of Fame website.
The NHL and WHA merged in 1979, and Hull played 27 games with Winnipeg and Hartford in his final season before retiring.
Hull had 560 assists in 1,063 regular-season NHL games. In addition to his two Hart trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league leader in points and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with stellar play.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement called Hull “a true superstar with a gregarious personality.”
“When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves,” Bettman said.
“During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey. … We send our deepest condolences to his son, fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Brett; the entire Hull family; and the countless fans around the hockey world who were fortunate enough to see him play or have since marveled at his exploits.”
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Credit:
CHICAGO — When Bobby Hull got the puck, he was tough to stop. He had blazing speed, a hard slap shot and tons of confidence.
Long before today’s biggest stars took the ice, “The Golden Jet” put on quite a show.
Hull, a Hall of Fame winger and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, has died. He was 84.
The Blackhawks and the NHL Alumni Association announced the death of the two-time NHL MVP on Monday. There were no further details provided by either organization.
The Blackhawks said Hull “delivered countless memories to our fans, whom he adored. Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby’s shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership that led to 604 career goals, a franchise record that remains to this day. We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family.”
Hull was one of the most prolific forwards in NHL history, scoring 610 times during his 16-year career with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg. Nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his speed and blond hair, he also collected 303 goals while playing for the Jets in the World Hockey Association for seven seasons.
While Hull starred on the ice, he faced legal and family issues in his personal life.
Hull was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened in a dispute with then-wife Deborah in 1986. He also was accused of battery, but that charge was dropped after Deborah told authorities she didn’t want to testify against her husband, a state attorney told the Chicago Tribune.
Hull’s second wife, Joanne, accused him of abuse during an interview with ESPN for a 2002 show.
A Russian newspaper reported in 1998 that Hull said Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.” Hull denied making the comment, calling it “false and defamatory.”
Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks that same year. He was estranged from the team for a while before he was named a Blackhawks ambassador in a ceremony with former teammate Stan Mikita in 2008. Hull and Mikita have adjacent statues outside the United Center.
The franchise announced in February 2022 that Hull had retired from any official team role, calling it a joint decision.
“Bobby Hull will always be remembered as one of the greatest Blackhawks players of all time. He was a beloved member of the Blackhawks family,” team owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement.
“When I assumed leadership of the organization upon my father’s passing in 2007, one of my first priorities was to meet with Bobby to convince him to come back as an ambassador of the team. His connection to our fans was special and irreplaceable.”
Hull’s brother, Dennis, played for Chicago for most of his 14 years in the league, and Bobby’s son, Brett, spent 19 years in the NHL. Bobby and Brett each won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. Bobby won in 1964-65 and 1965-1966, while Brett won in 1990-1991.
Bobby Hull helped the Blackhawks return to the top of the NHL after they were one of the worst teams in the league for years before his debut during the 1957-58 season. He had 13 goals and 34 assists in his first campaign with the team, finishing second in the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year.
It was a steady rise from there. Hull posted 13 consecutive seasons with 30 goals or more from 1959-72, becoming a perennial fixture at the All-Star Game and a regular candidate for the league’s top awards.
Hull and Mikita powered Chicago to the franchise’s third championship in 1961, beating Montreal and Detroit in the playoffs. Hull had two goals and five assists as the Blackhawks eliminated the Red Wings in six games in the final.
The Pointe Anne, Ontario, native remains Chicago’s career leader for regular-season and playoff goals. He is second to Mikita on the franchise points list with 1,153.
Hull left the Blackhawks after the 1971-72 season when he was selected by Winnipeg in the WHA draft. The Jets lured Hull away from the NHL with hockey’s first $1 million contract, according to his bio on the Hall of Fame website.
The NHL and WHA merged in 1979, and Hull played 27 games with Winnipeg and Hartford in his final season before retiring.
Hull had 560 assists in 1,063 regular-season NHL games. In addition to his two Hart trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league leader in points and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with stellar play.
Credit: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/bobby-hull-hockey-hall-famer-nicknamed-golden-jet-dies-84-rcna68201
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, a 12-time All-Star and two-time Hart Trophy winner, has died, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Monday. He was 84.
"We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family," the team said in a statement. "The Hull family has requested privacy during this difficult time. They appreciate the sympathies that have been sent their way."
Hull, known during his playing career as the Golden Jet because of his blond hair and his speed on the ice, became beloved in Chicago for teaming with Stan Mikita to help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, ending a 23-year title drought.
Following Mikita's lead, Hull became known for curving the blade of his wooden stick in the 1960s and had one of the most feared slap shots in the league. His slap shot was reportedly clocked at 118 mph.
He played 15 seasons in Chicago and is the franchise's career leader in goals scored with 604. For eight of those seasons, he played alongside his brother Dennis, who scored 298 goals with the Blackhawks. Bobby Hull won back-to-back Hart Memorial Trophies as the league's most valuable player in 1964-65 and 1965-66, when he won the NHL scoring title for the third time in his career.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement called Hull "a true superstar with a gregarious personality.''
"When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves," Bettman said. "During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey. ... We send our deepest condolences to his son, fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Brett; the entire Hull family; and the countless fans around the hockey world who were fortunate enough to see him play or have since marveled at his exploits.''
In 1972, Hull signed the first $1 million contract in the history of professional hockey (10 years, $1.75 million), leaving the Blackhawks and the NHL to join the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA as a player/coach.
He played seven seasons in the WHA and helped the Jets win Avco Cups in 1976 and 1978. He won two Gordie Howe Trophies as the league's most valuable player in 1972-73 and 1974-75, a season in which he scored a career-best 77 goals.
He announced his retirement during the 1978-79 season but decided to return the next season after the WHA merged with the NHL. He played 18 games with the Jets in 1979-80 and was traded to the Hartford Whalers, playing nine games for the team before retiring again.
Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. His son Brett also is in the Hall of Fame, inducted in 2009 after a 19-season career in which he scored 741 goals. Bobby and Brett Hull are the only father and son to each win the Hart Trophy. They also were the only father and son named among the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017.
Hull finished in the top three in goals scored in 10 NHL seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Only Gordie Howe (12) and Alex Ovechkin (11) have more such instances.
Bobby Hull's No. 9 is retired by the Blackhawks and the Jets. That Winnipeg franchise relocated to Arizona in 1996 and was renamed the Coyotes, who also retired Hull's No. 9. The Coyotes unretired the number in 2005 so Brett Hull could honor his father by wearing it.
Bobby Hull had 610 goals and 560 assists in 1,063 regular-season NHL games. In addition to his two Hart Trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league leader in points and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with stellar play.
Although Hull starred on the ice, he faced legal and family issues in his personal life.
He faced allegations of domestic abuse from two of his three wives. His second wife, figure skater Joanne McKay, alleged that in 1966 he held her over a balcony in Hawaii and hit her with a shoe and in 1978 threatened her with a loaded shotgun. His third wife, Deborah, filed charges after an incident in 1984 but later dropped them. Hull, however, later pleaded guilty to taking a swing at an officer during his arrest and was fined $150 and placed on six months of court supervision.
In 1998, Hull came under fire for telling The Moscow Times that the Black population in the United States was growing too fast and that "Hitler had some good ideas" but "just went a bit too far."
The Blackhawks announced last year that Hull would no longer serve as a team ambassador. The team said it was redefining the role of team ambassador after Mikita died in 2018 and Tony Esposito died in 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Credit: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/35557785/hall-famer-bobby-hull-golden-jet-dies-age-84
Bobby Hull once proudly said that he played the way he lived -- straightforward.
The Hockey Hall of Famer, who electrified fans through the 1960s and 70s, died on Monday at the age of 84. Hull played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks before a jump to the Winnipeg Jets of the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972, a move that led to lawsuits but ultimately higher salaries for hockey players.
Controversy often swirled around Hull off the ice, including allegations of spousal abuse and a 1986 criminal conviction for assaulting a police officer. A quote attributed to him in a Moscow Times article voiced support of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, although Hull denied making the comment and sued the English-language paper for libel.
Hull helped lead the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 23 years in 1961, and is 55th on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 610 goals and 560 assists. He also had 303 goals and 335 assists in the WHA for combined total of 913 goals in both leagues in 1,474 games.
To put that into context, Wayne Gretzky has a combined total of 940 goals in both leagues over 1,567 games, although all but 80 of those were in the NHL.
"When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey.
"As gregarious a personality as he was explosive as a player, Hull was a true superstar and the face of the Chicago Blackhawks throughout the 1960s and early `70s."
Hull's 604 goals with the Blackhawks remain a team record.
"Hull is part of an elite group of players who made a historic impact on our hockey club," the Blackhawks said in a statement. "Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby's shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership."
Hull was the first player in the NHL history to score more than 50 goals in a season. He set the record of 54 in 1966 and broke it by four goals a couple of seasons later.
Along with Chicago teammate Stan Mikita, he helped popularize the curved hockey stick blade in the NHL. He would first soak the wooden blade, then bend it under a door and leave it overnight. It made Hull's slapshot, clocked at close to 200 kilometres per hour, even harder for a goalie to stop.
His defection to the WHA in 1972 was the catalyst that helped shatter the NHL's contractual stranglehold on players. It also started the escalation of salaries that now make Hull's once record-setting million-dollar payday look like small change.
There were plenty of hard feelings at the time on both sides, but in 2011 a statue of Hull was erected alongside one of Mikita outside the United Center, where Chicago now plays.
"I never, ever thought in 100 years I'd ever be standing here tonight," Hull said at the unveiling.
Robert Marvin Hull Jr., was born Jan. 3, 1939 in Pointe Anne, Ont., now part of the city of Belleville, and was 12 when he was first scouted by Chicago. He started playing with the Blackhawks in 1957 when he was just 18.
He was regarded as the fastest skater in the NHL and led the league in scoring seven times in the 1960s. When he left the NHL in 1972 for the WHA, he was second on the all-time scoring list behind only Gordie Howe, and Howe had been in the league for an extra decade.
"It was sort of a dream that came true," said Joe Daley, Hull's teammate on the Jets who is from the Winnipeg area. "You always hope that you get a chance to have wonderful teammates, and I got lucky in having him here.
"Certainly, what he brought to Winnipeg and the way he conducted himself with every fan in every city, it was amazing to see."
Although not large by modern standards (five-foot-10 and just under 190 pounds), the muscular Hull was not afraid to scrap. In 1966 when he set his first scoring record, he also had 70 penalty minutes in 65 games.
In an era when few players worked out in the off-season, Hull stayed in shape throwing around bales of hay on his farm -- which led to a still iconic black and white photo of the shirtless Hull in action, a bale on the end of his pitchfork.
In 1978, Hull was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 jersey was retired by both the Blackhawks and the old Winnipeg Jets (who moved to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Coyotes before the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011 and reclaimed the Jets name).
Son Brett Hull became a star and Hall of Famer in his own right as a star scorer with St. Louis and Dallas and is 25th on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
Hull renewed ties with the the Jets after their return to Winnipeg.
"I was lucky enough I actually got to meet Bobby Hull. He was an awesome guy to meet," Jets forward Mark Scheifele said. "Obviously, a moment that I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
"He was a guy that revolutionized the game and was one of the stars and made hockey what it is today," Scheifele added. "So we wouldn't be where we are without him."
Scheifele called Hull a Winnipeg "legend."
"He always will be," Scheifele said. "He's something that made hockey what it is in the world, and especially in Winnipeg. Obviously, his legacy will always be there forever."
Hull said he loved his years in Chicago and the fans, but the organization didn't love him as much. He resented what he was paid, as did many in the league at that time, and got into high-profile disputes over money with the Wirtz family that owned the team.
In 1972, he became the linchpin around which the WHA was formed and the first hockey player to earn a million dollars, his signing bonus for joining the new league with the Jets.
Although some resented him for the leap, Mikita once said he got down on his knees and thanked his former teammate and the Jets -- his salary doubled almost overnight because of the competition.
But the move cost Hull a chance to play in the 1972 Summit Series when the NHL refused to let him join Team Canada. He made up for it in 1974, when a team of Canadians from the WHA met the Soviet Union in a second Summit Series, and again when he played in the 1976 Canada Cup.
Nicknamed the Golden Jet for his speed and blond hair (even before he joined the Jets), Hull spent eight seasons with the team, the last in the NHL, and helped make them one of the strongest clubs in the WHA. They won three Avco Cups, the league's ultimate prize, in the seven years it was awarded, and were runners-up twice.
Hull played only part of the final Jets' final WHA season in 1978-79, and returned only briefly the next season when Winnipeg joined the NHL as the two leagues merged. He moved to the Whalers, who also jumped to the NHL, for nine games that same season.
He was 42 when he made a brief comeback attempt with the New York Rangers in 1981 before finally hanging up his skates.
An acrimonious divorce from his second wife of 20 years, Joanne -- which included numerous allegations of abuse -- cost him a stake he owned in the original Jets.
He returned to farming/ranching during the early years of his time away from hockey and then settled in Florida with third wife Deborah.
Although their marriage lasted, he also was accused by her of assault in 1986. She dropped the charges but the police officer who Hull took a swing at during the investigation did not. He was fined $150 and placed on six months court supervision.
He stoked more controversy when in 1998 the Moscow Times, an English-language newspaper, alleged that Hull said in an interview that the Nazis were not without merit, the Black population of the United States was growing too fast and genetic breeding was a worthy idea.
"Hitler, for example, had some good ideas. He just went a little bit too far," Hull, who was visiting Russia, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Hull denied making the comment, calling it "false and defamatory."
The Blackhawks brought him back as a team ambassador in 2008 and he was on hand for their 2010 Stanley Cup win. It was their first Stanley Cup since 1961.
-- With files from John Chidley-Hill in Toronto, Judy Owen in Winnipeg and The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023.
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
A report commissioned by a non-profit organization founded by the late Jean Vanier says the Canadian sexually abused 25 women during his decades with the group.
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
Adding some milk to your morning coffee may boost the body's anti-inflammatory response, new research out of Denmark shows.
Michael Jackson's 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will play the King of Pop in the planned biopic "Michael" to be directed by Antoine Fuqua.
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
New guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular, advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say.
Members of Parliament return to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
Quebec's minister responsible for secularism, Jean-Francois Roberge, has called on Canada’s new special anti-Islamophobia advisor Amira Elghawaby to apologize and step down.
Credit: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/hockey-hall-of-famer-bobby-hull-dies-at-84-1.6251955
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The Golden Jet has died.
Hockey icon Bobby Hull was 84.
Known internationally for his Hall of Fame NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Hull was also a star for the Winnipeg Jets of the upstart World Hockey Association — famously signing a million-dollar contract at Portage & Main in 1972.
Winnipegger Jordy Douglas, who knew Hull well and played with him briefly during his stint with the Hartford Whalers, told 680 CJOB that Hull’s defection to the WHA — which was due to a contract dispute with the Blackhawks — left an indelible mark on the game.
“He just meant so much to so many of us that grew up here in Winnipeg and Manitoba watching the WHA,” Douglas said.
“We can all debate the character of the man, but what he did in 1972, along with a number of other ex-NHL players, to just make that step, that leap of faith into the WHA, it changed that whole landscape of hockey.”
In Winnipeg, Hull teamed up with Swedish players Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, forming The Hot Line — one of the most formidable lines in hockey in the 1970s — and led the Jets to a pair of AVCO Cups during his time in Winnipeg.
Filled with memories of the many years I spent covering Bobby Hull & the WHA Jets & what he meant to Wpg. Ben Hatskin turned the hockey world upside down when he signed Hull in 1972. Legacy tainted by off-ice issues but I’ve never seen a more charismatic accomodating athlete.
Nilsson told Global News he saw Hull — who was already in his mid-30s when his Swedish linemates arrived in Winnipeg — as both a father figure and a teammate with whom he had an instant connection.
“He was already 35 years old when we came to Winnipeg. Bobby always said that we gave him four more years on his career,” Nilsson said.
“It was magic, really. We really didn’t have to talk a lot about positions and things like that.
“To us, puck control was very important, and Bobby had a simple philosophy — if you worked really, really hard in practice, the games are so much easier.”
Nilsson said Hull was different from most pro players he met in North America, in that despite his talents on the ice, he wasn’t thinking about hockey 24/7 — instead devoting time outside the rink to working on his farm and keeping himself busy with outside pursuits.
The first player in NHL history to score more than 50 goals in a single season, Hull set the record of 54 in 1966, breaking it by four goals only a couple of seasons later.
Along with Chicago teammate Stan Mikita, he’s credited with popularizing the curved hockey stick blade in the NHL.
The NHL Alumni Association is deeply saddened to learn that Bobby Hull has passed away at the age of 84.
Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and wasn’t the only member of his family to achieve hockey stardom — his brother Dennis played alongside him with the Blackhawks for eight seasons, and his son Brett is a Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Fame player in his own right.
Hull’s son Bart played for Saskatchewan and Ottawa in the Canadian Football League.
Despite a lengthy list of individual and team awards and records — including a Stanley Cup championship in 1961, three Art Ross Trophies, and two Hart Memorial Trophies — Hull’s legacy is a controversial one.
He pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer in 1987, and was accused of abuse against two of his three wives, although assault and battery charges were dropped in the mid-1980s.
Hull also came under scrutiny in the mid-’90s after making pro-Nazi comments — which he later denied saying — in a Russian newspaper interview.
He served as an ambassador for the Blackhawks until the 2021-22 season, when the team cut ties with him.
Hull, whose number 9 banner hangs at Canada Life Centre, was inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2016 along with Hedberg and Nilsson, although he didn’t return to Winnipeg for the ceremony.
Credit: https://globalnews.ca/news/9445833/golden-jet-bobby-hull-dies-at-84/
To address the challenges Zimbabwe faces in providing timely, affordable, safe and quality surgical services, the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) launched its first National Strategy for Surgery, Obstetrics and Anesthesia (NSOAS) 2022-2025 on September 30 2022.
The strategy will promote access to surgical services from the district level, a positive step towards strengthening primary health care, as 83% of key follow-up surgical operations were performed in central and provincial hospitals .
Additionally, the strategy document will address infrastructure and equipment-related gaps that exist in essential surgical care despite improvements made as part of COVID-19 response infrastructure investments.
From now on, Zimbabwe becomes the fifth country in the SADC region and the ninth in Africa to develop and launch its NSOAS.
This follows resolution WHA 68.15 which recognized the central role of surgery and anesthesia in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The NSOAS is timely as Zimbabwe faces a double burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, with NCDs being the fifth of the top 10 causes of death in the country.
Several of these NCDs require surgical interventions and the new strategy will address the burden of surgically amenable disease in Zimbabwe.
“By launching this strategy as Zimbabwe, we are showing our commitment and taking a positive step in fulfilling our international obligations.
What remains now is the implementation and translation of this strategic document into action,” MoHCC Vice President and Minister Dr. Constantino Chiwenga said during the launch.
“My Ministry is calling for additional investments needed to address the emerging challenge of NCDs, including conditions amenable to surgical care,” added Dr Chiwenga.
The development of the NSOAS began in 2018 under the leadership of the MoHCC and took a Whole of Government, Whole of Society approach, which saw increased stakeholder engagement in the process towards the realization of this strategic policy document.
MoHCC received financial and technical assistance from the WHO and SDG3 GAP signatory partners (UNICEF, UNFPA, The World Bank/GFF), the SADC SOA Technical Experts Working Group (TEWG) and various professional associations in the field of SOA .
The NSOAS is aligned with the National Health Strategy (2021-2025) which seeks to achieve the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all people in Zimbabwe by 2030.
The implementation of the NSOAS strategy will ensure that all people in need of the Surgery, Obstetrics and Anesthesia (SOA) services receive timely and quality care at all levels of the health system.
Furthermore, improving access to surgical services will not only save lives but also improve human capital, thus contributing substantially to economic growth in Zimbabwe and the region.
Additionally, by prioritizing surgical care on the healthcare agenda, financial risk protection for patients is also enhanced.
“This National Strategy for Surgery, Obstetrics and Anesthesia will strengthen the health system in Zimbabwe by directing investment towards delivery and improving the capacity to deliver surgical care at the district hospital level as a means of achieving Universal Health Coverage, Equitable Access and Quality”, said the WHO representative in the country, Dr. Alex Gasasira, in a speech read on his behalf by the technical officer, Dr. Thenjiwe Sisimayi.
I would like to call on leaders at all levels to mobilize resources to support the implementation of this strategy to benefit patients in need of surgical care,” added Dr. Thenjiwe Sisimayi.
The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB) on Wednesday urged journalists in the state to promote salient issues on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) in the state.
The Assistant Nutrition Officer of the state, Mr. Adams Ango, made the appeal at a media roundtable in Kaduna on promoting issues around MIYCN.
The News Agency of Nigeria , reports that the media roundtable engagement was done in collaboration with Alive and Thrive project.
He said that according to Global Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index Report (2015), the poverty rate in Kaduna state stood at 56.5%, while about 1.6 million children risk malnutrition and Over 800,000 children (48%) were stunted.
He noted that public funding of nutrition was still inadequate and fragmented across sectors leading to delay in implementation of nutrition interventions, with consequent unacceptable indices.
Ango however said that the state had deployed strategies and interventions in curtailing malnutrition and its consequences in the state.
He said the World Bank Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, provided funding for improving nutrition through MIYCN counselling services.
It also provided Basic Nutrition Package services across communities in the 23 local governments.
He added that the state was implementing Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in 87 health facilities in 17 LGAs across the state with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic food (RUTF).
Ango stressed that the media, if equipped with the knowledge on key issues in MIYCN, including code for marketing of breast milk substitute, would enhance reportage of the issues for public good.
He said the objective of this was to discuss the role of the radio and television producers and newspapers editors in promoting MIYCN.
Also, Serah Kwasu, A&T Programmes Manager in Kaduna, said maternal and newborn health and nutrition inextricably connected.
She said globally, 295,000 women died due to pregnancy-related causes and 2.5 million newborns died within the first month of life.
“Nigeria accounts for over 34 per cent of global maternal deaths.
Risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth, post partum, or after an abortion for a Nigerian woman is one in 22, compared to one in 49,000 in developed countries.
He said “95 per cent of these deaths were preventable nut Nigeria loses about 2,313 children daily translating to 844,321 under-five children deaths annually.
She added that mothers nutrition status and health, both before and during pregnancy, had significant effects on the outcome of her child.
“A baby’s birth weight, rate of postnatal growth and chances of survival are all influenced by the mother’s health and dietary intake.
“Good nutritional status before, during and after pregnancy optimises maternal health and reduces the risk of pregnancy complications, birth defects and chronic disease in her children in later adulthood,” she said.
Noting nutrition as a fundamental human right, she said good maternal nutrition status reduced the risk of anaemia and pregnancy complications, among other effects.
She said Lasting progress in global health and development was achievable through improving nutrition during the critical 1,000 days beginning with adequate maternal nutrition.
Also, Rahila Maishanu, the Breast Milk Substitute Desk Officer of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kaduna, said the World Health Assembly (WHA), 1981 adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS).
She explained that the WHA adopted the code as a weapon to protect breastfeeding from the negative impact that aggressive advertising and marketing techniques by Infant Food Manufacturers (IFM) were having on breastfeeding rates and duration.
Maishanu further said that NAFDAC was empowered by law to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of foods, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and others.
“By the law, NAFDAC became the home of the code and the Agency mandated to implement, monitor and enforce the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes,”she said.
She noted that the media needed to be familiar with laws and regulations on marketing breast milk substitutes in Nigeria by training staff to identify and report violations of the code or related National Regulations.
“The media must reject any advertisements promoting breast milk substitute products, NAFDAC does not issue advertisement permits for breast milk substitutes,”Maishanu said.
She called on media houses to endorse programs which promoted optimal feeding practices for infants and young children.
She also called for establishment of crèches in media houses for breastfeeding mothers.
“The role of the media cannot be overemphasised in the promotion and protection of breastfeeding.
“Every consequence of note starts and ends with information and education and the media is believed to be the best medium to both educate and inform the public,” she said.
NAN reports that various media houses in Kaduna, who attended the media roundtable engagement, made commitments on various ways and strategies in promoting MIYCN programmes.
Idris Abdulrahman
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has reiterated Federal Government’s
commitment to health security to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), where individuals and communities
will receive health services they need without suffering financial hardship.
The minister’s remark on the government’s position is in a statement issued by Mr Ahmadu Chindaya, the
Deputy Director, Media and Public Relations in Abuja on Tuesday.
Chindaya said the minister reiterated Federal Government’s position during his presentation at the 75th World Health
Assembly (WHA) which kicked off in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday.
Ehanire said that the nation was increasingly recognising the strong and vibrant role Primary Health Care system
play in achieving the objectives of public health security.
He added that “in spite of all odds and challenges, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is committed to
achieving remarkably in the area of public health.”
According to him, the assembly is the first physical meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which invariably
marks new confidence to resume work fully after learning vital lessons.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the World Health Assembly is the highest health body of experts and
professionals charged with the responsibility of policy formulation, decisions and advice on health related matters for humanity.
The meeting, which has “Health For Peace and Peace for Health” as its theme, focuses on major health issues, including the response
to continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the global health for peace initiative.
This year’s WHA, the first of its kind held in Geneva, is being attended by delegates in person since the outbreak of the pandemic
more than two years ago.
(NAN)
