Hull on memories of Dallas: 'It's home base'

He ranks fourth all-time in the National Hockey League in goals scored with 741. He's a Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup winner. He's also one of the game's largest personalities, and in the summer of 1998, a free agent, Brett Hull signed a three-year deal with the Dallas Stars that would change everything.
We caught up with the irascible Hull this week as he headed home from his local golf course in St. Louis, where he holds the title of Executive Vice President.

Scott Burnside: Do you remember the moment you found out you were going to Dallas and going to be a member of the Dallas Stars?
Brett Hull:Yeah, I was in my basement here in St. Louis. It was July 3 or something like that (actually, July 2). We had been talking with Chicago and that didn't go well. Mike Barnett (Hull's longtime agent) called me up and said, 'You'll never guess who just called.' Obviously, right then, I knew it was someone I would never guess. He goes, 'Bob Gainey and the Dallas Stars, and here's their offer.' I said, 'Let's take it.' They're a great up-and-coming team, and I knew Carbo (Guy Carbonneau) and Mo (Mike Modano) and (Craig) Ludwig, and Nieuy (Joe Nieuwendyk) I'd played with in Calgary. It wasn't going to be a hard transition. I obviously knew with (head coach Ken) Hitchcock and Gainey I was going to have to change my game a little bit, but I knew they had a chance to win. I said, 'Let's do it.'
SB: Was it a surprise because Dallas was a different kind of team?
BH: Just because of Hitchcock and Bob Gainey. Their philosophy on the game kind of was not exactly jiving with the way I played, right? But I guess they saw something at the World Cup (in 1996 when the U.S. beat Canada in the final). They thought I could mold my game and fit in with some offense and play within their system, so that was nice.
SB: Were you nervous about making the move?
BH:Absolutely. Petrified. Well, not regular season -- not at all. But as soon as the playoffs came and they started calling me 'the missing piece of the puzzle,' I'm like, 'Are you kidding?' It was. There were a lot of nerves that first series against Edmonton. I could barely play. But as each game went on and we were winning, every game was unbelievably hard. Then, all of a sudden, St. Louis is next, and I'm like, 'Jesus Christ.' So, it was a different couple of rounds, but it turned out to work out very well.
SB: When you think back you show up in Dallas and you win a Cup, it seems easy right?
BH:That's what every team is thinking when they sign a free agent in the offseason, right, in July? I'm just glad it turned out. I couldn't believe knowing and playing against them (Dallas), I had no idea how good they were. They were a team. Like just put that team as 'A Team' in the dictionary.

SB: There is something magical about that 1999 team and its connection to the community. Does it surprise you that, even now, there is something that holds you all together, a kind of glue? Or maybe it doesn't exist and that's just how it seems from the outside.
BH:No, no. I totally agree. It is completely there. I just think it's a group of guys, like I said, never been a part of. I mean, the guys in Detroit were very close like that (where Hull won a second Cup in 2002), but these guys were even more so. And to this day, it was just so much character from Carbonneau to (Mike) Keane, to Modano and (Derian) Hatcher, and (Darryl) Sydor -- everyone was fun, but yet, very professional. It was a group of great guys.
SB: Has it been strange for you, however closely you follow the game, to watch Dallas play now and see Ken Hitchcock standing once again behind the Dallas bench?
BH:It's not jarring. I mean, he's No. 3 all-time in wins. He's got to be doing something right. Right? And you know, there's teams that need an infusion of Ken Hitchcock to get them on the straight and narrow, and to figure out, okay, there's other parts of the game that you have to be able to play to become a team and to be successful. He does that. It's his way or the highway, But yeah, X's and O's, I don't know if there's any better. I'm sure if we could get him into a class where he could deal with the players a little better on a personal level, that would even make him greater. As a coach, boy, if you aren't prepared to play with him, then you haven't been listening to him. Because he'll get you ready to play.
SB: What's your relationship like with him now? I mean, you saw him a lot in St. Louis when he was coaching there?
BH:Oh, it's great. I love him. He's awesome. We would always butt heads as coach and player because my philosophy on the game is completely opposite to his, and so, other than that, he's a helluva guy. I like talking with him. He's every intelligent, so we have a great relationship.
SB: You spent some time when you came back to the organization in Dallas in management, and I wonder, when you think about that time, I wonder what you learned?
BH: That people are very untrustworthy and are only out for themselves. Being a GM in the NHL is not that glamorous, and it is really hard work. But, it was a great experience. Real, great experience.
SB: Not necessarily ifyou could do it over again, but if you got another chance, do you think, 'I would have learned so much from that.' Or does the experience make you think, 'Nope, I would never do that again?'
BH:Well, no. It's not the job itself, it's the hours. Like, you're in charge of so much, it's just incredible. Twelve months a year, 24/7 -- it's too much. But the job itself, I wish I would have been given longer because we were two games away from going to the Stanley Cup three months before. It's like Guy Carbonneau getting fired in Montreal. Takes his team to the Conference Final and then gets fired the next year when they're in first. Crazy. It's crazy that way how some things happen. But you know, new ownership and stuff, so ...

SB: Tell me about you and the game now. You've done lots of different stuff. You worked with ESPN during the World Cup of Hockey, what's your relationship with the game like?
BH: It's good. I'm still working with the Blues. The game, to me, is -- to me it's not the game that I knew. Or the game that I loved. There's no personality. It's very robotic, I guess I would call it. You can't see anybody. They've all got helmets and visors on. They've taken fighting out of the game, which I think is stupid. I certainly was no fighter, but I have always said it's the most honorable part of the game. That made people accountable, and now there, are so many cheap shots. There's no accountability for your actions, so that pisses me off. There's things I think they could do. Let the goalies play the puck again. Push the net back so the game goes back in front of the net. Get rid of the shoulder pads that are so huge. They're more weapons than they are for protection. Things like that. Put the red line back in, so you have to make plays and stuff.
SB: Would you ever want a role with the league? Would you want to be on the Competition Committee?
BH:Oh, absolutely. If they called, I would certainly consider that.
SB: Okay, that's my goal to get you on the Competition Committee, then you'll really hate me.
BH:(laughs)
SB: Okay, just before I let you go, when you come back to Dallas, what comes to mind for you? What do you think of when you come back here?
BH:It's home base. My wife and I talk all the time, 'We're moving back to Dallas.' To me, it's like home. I still belong to Preston Trail Golf Club, which is the greatest place on earth. Yeah, I left for a little bit, but not for long.
Brett Hull returns to American Airlines Center on Saturday, where he will be honored throughout the Stars' afternoon game against St. Louis as part of the team's 25th Anniversary. For more information, and to purchase tickets, click here.
This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Scott Burnside is a senior digital correspondent for DallasStars.com. You can follow him on Twitter @OvertimeScottB, and listen to his podcast.