Bobby Hull, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the first NHL player to score more than 50 goals in a single season, passed away on Monday at the age of 84said the Chicago Blackhawks. Hull, a Canadian player with a dreaded slapshot and nickname “Gold Jet” due to his speed on the ice and blond hair, he helped the Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup, ending a 23-year title drought for the team.
“Hull is part of an elite group of players who have made a historic impact on our hockey club.” the Blackhawks said in a statement. “Generations of Chicagoans have been amazed by Bobby’s marksmanship, skating prowess and overall team leadership.”
The dynamic left winger reversed the fortunes of a Blackhawks team that had missed the playoffs in 11 of the previous 12 seasons before his arrival. Hull spent 15 seasons with Chicago and his 604 goals are still a franchise record.
Along with his colleague Stan Mikita, Hull pioneered the curved hockey stick blade, which gave shooters more speed and occasionally made the ball slide differently. Hull was a five-time 50-goal scorer, seven-time NHL scoring leader, two-time Hart Trophy winner as the league’s Most Valuable Player, and ten-time first-team left all-star.
“When Bobby Hull was ready to take a slapshot, fans across the NHL stood in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “During his prime there was no more prolific goalscorer in all of hockey.”
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Hull received the first $1 million hockey deal in history in 1972 to play for the Winnipeg Jets, who later moved to Phoenix, renamed the Coyotes, and joined the fledgling World Hockey Association.
Hull missed the chance to represent Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series matchup with the Soviet Union because the NHL did not allow his participation. The Canada-winning series remains a turning point for a generation of Canadians.
Before joining his father’s Hall of Fame in 2009, Hull’s son Brett Hull competed in the NHL, scoring 741 goals and winning Stanley Cups with Dallas and Detroit.
