Hull, Bobby

Bobby Hull, byname of Robert Marvin Hull, Jr., (born January 3, 1939, Point Anne, Ontario, Canada—died January 30, 2023), Canadian professional ice hockey player, notably for the National Hockey League (NHL) Chicago Black Hawks (later spelled Blackhawks) from 1957 to 1972. His swinging slap shot made him one of hockey’s dominant scorers in his time.

At age 12 Hull was playing organized hockey on a team with his father. He was put on the Black Hawks’ negotiating list, and thereafter he played amateur hockey with financial support for his education by the club. He dropped out of St. Catherines (Ontario) Collegiate School to join the Black Hawks in 1957, at first playing centre but later forward. In the 1959–60 season he led the NHL in scoring with 39 goals, and two seasons later he scored 50 goals, matching a record set by Maurice Richard. In 1965–66 Hull established a new record with 54 goals, 43 assists, and 97 points. His great skating speed and bulletlike shot helped earn him the nickname “Golden Jet.” He won the Art Ross Trophy for highest scorer (1960, 1962, and 1966), the Hart Trophy for most valuable player (1965 and 1966), and the Lady Byng Trophy for ability combined with sportsmanship (1965). In 1961 he helped the Black Hawks win the Stanley Cup.

In 1972 Hull joined the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA); his signing led to larger salaries in the NHL, as teams sought to keep players from switching leagues. He played with the Jets from 1972 to 1979 (serving as player-coach from 1972 to 1974), and in the 1974–75 season he scored 77 goals. He returned to the NHL when the Jets—along with three other WHA franchises—were absorbed into the league in 1979. He played 18 games with the Jets before being traded to the Hartford Whalers, and he retired after the 1979–80 season.

His final totals included 610 NHL goals, 560 assists, and 1,170 points; in the WHA, 303 goals, 335 assists, and 638 points. During his NHL career he registered 50 or more goals in five seasons, and he had four such seasons in the WHA. In 1983 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His son Brett Hull also was an outstanding player in the NHL and was himself inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Off the ice, Bobby Hull occasionally faced controversy and legal issues. He was married several times, and two of his wives accused him of domestic abuse. In 1987 he pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer who had intervened during an altercation between Hull and his third wife. In addition, in 1998 Hull reportedly told the Russian newspaper Moscow Times that Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas” and that the Black population was increasing too quickly in the United States. Hull denied making the comments.