Bobby Hull dies at 84, legendary Blackhawks goal-scorer, Cup champion

Bobby Hull
, arguably the greatest player in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks and one of the most feared goal-scorers of the 1960s, died Monday at the age of 84.

"The Chicago Blackhawks are saddened by the passing of Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull, a superstar for our franchise between 1957 and 1972," the team said in a statement. "Hull is part of an elite group of players who made a historic impact on our hockey club. 'The Golden Jet' helped the Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup and 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."
A 1983 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Hull scored 604 goals, most in Blackhawks history.
"When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves. During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "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. A five-time 50-goal scorer, he led the NHL in goal-scoring seven times, twice won the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player, was voted a First-Team All-Star on left wing 10 times, and won the Stanley Cup in 1961. His 604 goals as a Blackhawk are the most in franchise history.
"The National Hockey League mourns the passing of one of its most iconic and distinctive players. 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."

Said Blackhawks chairmain Rocky Wirtz: "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. 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. On behalf of the entire Wirtz family, I offer our deepest condolences on the loss of Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet. He will be missed."
In 2017, during the NHL's Centennial celebration,
Hull
, along with
his son
and fellow Hockey Hall of Famer,
Brett Hull
, was named one of the League's
100 Greatest Players
. The only father and son combination on the list, they appeared together in Los Angeles during the 100 Greatest Players ceremony.
"That was the coolest thing, to be a part of it with my dad was something special," Brett Hull said then.

Nicknamed "The Golden Jet" because of his blonde hair, blazing speed and a slap shot that was clocked at well over 100 mph coming off his curved stick, Bobby Hull made life miserable for opposing goalies. Hall of Fame goalie Gump Worsley once said after taking a shot to the face from Hull that the only reason he survived was because he was hit by the flat side of the puck rather than its edge. A shot off the top of his head from Hull prompted Cesare Maniago to begin wearing a face mask against the Blackhawks.
"There are days when you just step aside and leave the door wide open," Blackhawks goalie
Glenn Hall
said in 1965 when asked about facing Hull in practice. "It is a simple matter of self-preservation."
Hull was born Jan. 3, 1939, in Point Anne, Ontario, a small town about 120 miles northeast of Toronto. He was the fifth child in a family of 11 that included a brother,
Dennis Hull
, who later became a teammate in Chicago.

By the time he was 11, Bobby Hull had caught the attention of Chicago chief scout Bob Wilson, who reached an agreement with Hull's father. Three years later, Hull was playing for Chicago's Junior B team in Hespeler, Ontario. After bouncing around four farm teams, Hull began to make his mark with St. Catharines of the Ontario Hockey Association before being called up to the Black Hawks (as they were known then) in 1957 for a preseason game against the New York Rangers when he was 18.
Hull was one of a group of young players who helped the Black Hawks escape the doldrums after a stretch when they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times in 12 seasons between 1946-47 and 1957-58.
He led NHL rookies with 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) in 70 games in 1957-58, then had 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 70 games in 1958-59, helping Chicago qualify for the playoffs after a five-season absence.
He had a breakout season in 1959-60, leading the NHL with 81 points, and his 39 goals tied Bronco Horvath for the League lead. Hull dropped to 31 goals and 56 points in 1960-61, but he had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Black Hawks win their first championship since 1938.

Hull continued to fill the net for the rest of the 1960s. In 1961-62, he joined
Maurice Richard
and
Bernie Geoffrion
as the only players to score 50 goals in a season. He set a single-season NHL record of 54 in 1965-66, the first of four consecutive seasons when he led the NHL in goals. That stretch was capped by a record-setting 58-goal performance in 1968-69.
"Whenever we played against Chicago, Claude Provost was assigned by (coach) Toe Blake to cover him," former Montreal Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer said Monday. "He was Bobby's shadow. Bobby knew it but he was respectful of what Claude's job was. He never did anything to Claude, they never fought, they just played their game.
"Bobby and I were good friends. When I owned a restaurant years ago, he'd come almost every year to my fundraising golf tournament. He was a big ticket throughout the NHL. I played against his teams but whenever he was on the ice, it was Provost, a right wing, against Bobby. I sat on the bench and watched. He was a huge part of his Blackhawks teams."
Though Hull dropped from 58 goals to 38, Chicago finished first in the East in 1969-70 but were swept by the Boston Bruins in the NHL Semifinals. The Black Hawks moved to the West Division the following season, putting them with the six teams that had joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion, and won three straight division titles.
Hull had 44 goals in 1970-71 and helped the Black Hawks reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Canadiens. He scored 50 goals for the fifth time in his career in 1971-72, but Chicago was swept in four games by the Rangers in the NHL Semifinals.
By the summer of 1972, the 50-goal mark had been reached 11 times in NHL history; Hull accounted for five of them.
"Bobby dominated the offensive game with Chicago, they had a great offense with Stan Mikita on another line," said Frank Mahovlich, who won the Stanley Cup four times with the Toronto Maple Leafs and twice with the Canadiens. "They were tough to play against. Bobby was a great skater, powerful, very strong, and boy, it was exciting to watch him play all those games and score all those goals.
"But it's amazing, as I think about it, that I won the Stanley Cup three times in Chicago (1962 with Toronto and 1971 and 1973 with Montreal) and Bobby never won it on home ice (Chicago won the 1961 championship in Detroit)."
RELATED: [Hull 'galvanized' NHL with giant shot, skill with Blackhawks]
Mahovlich remembered the hugely curved sticks used by Hull and Mikita that terrorized opposing goalies.
"I was amazed that Bobby and Stan were allowed to do what they did with their sticks," he said. "It's almost like they were playing with lacrosse sticks, it was very difficult to get the puck away from them. Their shots were much harder, the puck would spin a lot more. Some of the shots that he and Stan let go, it was tough on the goalies."
At 33, Hull had scored 604 NHL goals and appeared to be in line to break
Gordie Howe
's all-time record at the time of 786. But that all changed in the summer of 1972, when Hull stunned the hockey world by signing a 10-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets of the new World Hockey Association.
Hull was just as dangerous in the WHA. He scored 51 and 53 goals in his first two seasons, then played left wing on a line with Swedish forwards Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg in 1974-75 and finished with 77 goals in 78 games.
Four WHA teams, including the Jets, joined the NHL in 1979-80, bringing Hull back to the League for two final seasons. He had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 27 games with the Jets and Hartford Whalers (where he and Howe were teammates).
Hull sat out the 1980-81 season and went to training camp with the Rangers in the fall of 1981, but retired for good after playing five preseason games. He finished his NHL career with 610 goals and 1,170 points in 1,063 games, and 62 goals and 129 points in 119 playoff games. He won the
Art Ross Trophy
as the leading scorer in the NHL three times (1959-60, 1961-62, 1965-66), the
Hart Trophy
as most valuable player twice (1964-65, 1965-66) and the
Lady Byng Trophy
for gentlemanly play once (1964-65).
Hull's No. 9 was retired by the Blackhawks in 1983, the same year he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but his relationship with the organization was cool for many years. It warmed Dec. 19, 2007, when then-team president John McDonough brought Hull and longtime teammate
Stan Mikita
back as ambassadors.
"I'm overwhelmed to be part of the Chicago Blackhawks family again," Hull said at the time. "I've been away from Chicago for some 35 years, but Chicago was never out of my heart. It is truly time for me to come back to Chicago."

Hull was a constant around the Blackhawks. He joined other alums in singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the third period of the 2009 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, he and Brett Hull dropped the ceremonial puck at the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium and he joined Blackhawks Hall of Famers
Denis Savard
and
Tony Esposito
and the wife of the late Mikita in taking part in pregame festivities on the ice at the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.
"Throughout his 84 years, he gave my family -- and everyone he met -- a tremendous amount of great memories," Brett Hull said. "Those of us who were lucky enough to spend time with him will cherish those forever. Thank you to everyone that has reached out to share their condolences and their memories of my dad. He will be greatly missed."
On Feb. 21, 2022, the Blackhawks, saying the were redefining the role, announced Hull was no longer serving as a team ambassador. The announcement came six months after the death of Tony Esposito. Mikita died in 2018.
On Oct. 22, 2011, statues of Hull and Mikita were unveiled outside United Center, accompanying the one that honors basketball legend Michael Jordan. Hull called it "without argument the greatest evening of my life," and said he was humbled and reflective of the honor.
"Won't it be something for [people] to be able to come along when we're gone and say, 'These guys were a part of one of the greatest organizations in the world, the Chicago Blackhawks,'" he said. "And they played when hockey was hockey."

NHL.com columnist Dave Stubbs contributed to this report