Hockey legend Bobby Hull, the ‘Golden Jet,’ dies at 84

When Bobby Hull got the puck, he was hard to stop. He had breathtaking speed, a hard slap shot and heaps of confidence.

Long before today’s biggest stars stepped onto 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 at the age of 84.

the Blackhawks and the NHL Alumni Assn. announced Hull’s death on Monday. No further details were disclosed by either organization.

The Blackhawks said Hull “brought countless memories to our fans who adored him. Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby’s shooting, skating and team leadership that resulted in 604 career goals, a franchise record that still stands today. We extend our deepest condolences to the Hull family.”

Hull was one of the most prolific forwards in NHL history, scoring 610 goals over his 16-year career with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg. Because of his speed and his blond hair, he was nicknamed “Golden Jet”. He also amassed 303 goals while playing for the Jets in the World Hockey Assn. for seven seasons.

1969 photograph of Chicago Blackhawks left wing hockey player Bobby Hull handling the puck during a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

(Getty Images)

While Hull has starred on the ice, he has struggled with legal and family issues in his personal life.

Hull was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened in a dispute with his then-wife Deborah in 1986. He was also charged with assault, but those charges were dropped after she told authorities she did not want to testify against her husband, a prosecutor told the Chicago Tribune.

Hull’s second wife Joanne accused him of abuse during an interview with ESPN for a show in 2002.

A Russian newspaper reported in 1998 that Hull ranted, saying that Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.” Hull denied making the comment, calling the report “false and defamatory”.

Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his #9 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks that same year. He was estranged from the team for a while before being named Blackhawks ambassador in a 2008 ceremony with former teammate Stan Mikita. Hull and Mikita have adjacent statues outside of the United Center.

The franchise announced in February 2022 that Hull had stepped down 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 took over leadership of the organization following my father’s death in 2007, one of my first priorities was to meet with Bobby to convince him to come back as the team’s ambassador. His connection with our fans was special and irreplaceable.”

A grinning Chicago Blackhawks forward Bobby Hull holds up a puck in the locker room after a game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The puck Hull is holding is the one he shot past Ranger goalie Lorne Worsley, making Hull only the third player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.

(Getty Images)

Hull’s brother Dennis played most of his 14 years in the league for Chicago, 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 achieve the feat. Bobby won in 1964-65 and 1965-66 while Brett won in 1990-91.

Bobby Hull helped the Blackhawks return to the top of the NHL after years of being one of the league’s worst teams prior to their debut in the 1957-58 season. He had 13 goals and 34 assists in his first season with the team and finished second in the Calder Trophy race for Rookie of the Year.

From then on it went steadily uphill. Hull scored 13 consecutive seasons of 30 goals or more from 1959 to 1972 and became a fixture of the All-Star Game and a regular contender for the league’s top honors.

Hull and Mikita propelled 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 Finals.

A native of Pointe Anne, Ontario 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. According to his bio on the Hall of Fame website, the Jets lured Hull away from the NHL with the first $1 million hockey contract.

The NHL and WHA merged in 1979, and Hull played 27 games for Winnipeg and Hartford in his final season before retiring.

Hull had 560 assists in 1,063 NHL regular-season games. In addition to his two Hart trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the points leader, and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with outstanding play.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called Hull “a true superstar with a social personality” in a statement.