Bobby Hull, arguably the greatest player in Chicago Blackhawks history and one of the most feared goalscorers of the 1960s, died Monday at the age of 84.
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, Hull is Chicago’s all-time leading scorer with 604 goals. In 2017, he was named one of the league’s 100 Greatest Players along with his son, Brett Hull, also a Hockey Hall of Famer, to mark the NHL’s centenary celebrations. They were the only father-son duo on the list.
Bobby Hull was nicknamed “The Golden Jet” because of his blonde hair, immense speed and hard slap shot. He regularly made life difficult for opposing goalkeepers. But even his own goalies knew when to watch out for him.
As Blackhawks goalie Glenn Hall said in 1965, “There are days when you just step aside and leave the goal wide open. It’s a matter of self-preservation.” He said this in response to a smug reporter’s question regarding how he survived training with sniper Hull unscathed.
Between 1957 and 1980, Hull played a total of 1,063 regular-season games for the Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers. He scored 1170 points (610 goals, 560 assists). In 1961 he won the Stanley Cup with Chicago. He won the Art Ross Trophy for top scorer three times (1959/60, 1961/62, 1965/66), the Hart Trophy for most valuable player twice (1964/65, 1965/66) and the Lady Byng Trophy once (1964/65 ).
