Brett Hull

Number 16 retired by St. Louis Blues
Number 29 retired by Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth
Cult/Star player for Dallas Stars
Cult/Star player for Detroit Red Wings
Cult/Star player for Penticton Vees
Cult/Star player for St. Louis Blues
Cult/Star player for Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth
Cult/Star player for USA

Biography
Brett Hull, the son of Bobby Hull, grew up watching his father play in the NHL and the WHA. Hull moved to North Vancouver, BC, with his mother Joanne McKay, a former figure skater, in the late 1970s after his parents had divorced. He played bantam and midget hockey with the North Shore Winter Club. He was slated to play major junior hockey in the WHL and later on in the QMJHL, but he never played major junior hockey. Hull was considered talented also in baseball thanks to his powerful swing, but found hockey more interesting.

Hull had given up playing hockey in the early 1980s, only playing it in a local rec league. He did not enjoy the wealth of his father, who had little contact with him or the family after the divorce. It took a decade for the family relations to improve. Despite being in poor physical shape and enjoying the life of a party he did make it back to play hockey.

In August 1982, Hull's friend and former North Shore Winter Club teammate Ally Cook had managed to get him and their mutual friend Peter Gustafson try outs with the BCJHL Penticton Knights. Hull was initially reluctant, but his mother Joanne pushed her son to give hockey another try. He made the cut on the Penticton training camp thanks to his father's fame and the marketing possibilities it offered. His friend Ally Cook had made the team before the camp and was slated to be one of the Knights' top players, but eventually ended up being traded to the New Westminster Royals after falling out with coach Rick Kozuback, who Cook had convinced to give his friends try outs. Gustafson only played a handful of games with the Knights, but the ever so lazy and out of shape Hull managed to stay with the team and turn his life around.

Hull worked hard on and off the ice and managed to secure a college scholarship with the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) after breaking the BCJHL scoring and point record previously held by future NHLers Cliff Ronning and John Newberry. In Duluth he improved his work ethic, conditioning and skating under the watchful eye of coach Mike Sertich who emphasized the importance of skating. Hull was able to adjust to college hockey and was named WCHA Rookie of the Year in his freshman year. Following his sophomore year, he was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team and nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. In 2006 UMD honored him by retiring his jersey.

Hull was drafted to the NHL by the Calgary Flames in 1984. During his sophomore year in college he was picked up by Brian Burke, a future NHL execute who was a player agent at the time. After representing United States in the 1986 World Championships held in Moscow Hull signed a one-way three-year contract in May 1986. He made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in the third game of the 1986 Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens on May 20, 1986.

Following his debut stint in the NHL playoffs Hull expected to make the team next season, but was instead assigned to the Moncton Golden Flames of the AHL. The combination of his offensive flair, positive attitude and lack of conditioning put him at odds with Moncton coach Terry Crisp, who demanded a strong work ethic from his players. Despite the differences, Hull earned recognition as the AHL Rookie of the Year and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team.

The stellar season in the AHL earned Hull a place in the NHL. To Hull's dismay Crisp was named Calgary Flames' head coach. The relationship between Hull and Crisp remained sour despite his near point per game production. His time with the Flames ended when he and Steve Bozek were traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. This trade proved to be pivotal to Hull's career.

Hull enjoyed a stellar career with the St. Louis Blues, earning All-Star recognition and being named the team captain. In 1990-91 he established a career high with 86 goals and 131 points in the NHL. At the end of the season he was awarded the Hart Trophy in recognition of his value to his team. Despite his efforts, Hull was unable to win the Stanley Cup during his stay in St. Louis. In addition, he won the World Cup with team USA in 1996.

The time in St. Louis came to an end when Hull was unable to come to terms with the team management. As a free agent he opted to sign with the Dallas Stars. While his scoring had gone down from the career high days with the Blues, the change of scenery finally made him a Stanley Cup winner. Move from Dallas to Detroit proved to be equally fruitful. Hull won his second Stanley Cup in the first season with the Detroit Red Wings.

After three seasons in Detroit, Hull signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, the franchise his father Bobby had played for when it was located in Winnipeg, MB. The Coyotes unretired Bobby Hull's number 9 that was retired in Winnipeg on February 19, 1989. Brett Hull wore the number 9 jersey in three games before announcing his retirement on October 15, 2005. At age 41 Hull found himself unable to keep up with other players after not playing in the previous season that featured a lengthy lockout.

Hull beat the odds and eventually excelled at every level of hockey. He finished his career with 741 goals and 650 assists for a total of 1391 points in 1269 NHL games. In addition he scored 103 goals and had 87 assists for a total of 190 points in 202 NHL playoff games. After his retirement Hull continued his involvement in hockey in management roles.

Trivia
- When his father was playing for the Chicago Blackhaws, he played on the same team with Tony Granato & Tom Stapleton
- When his father was playing for the Winnipeg Jets, he would regularly take his father's teammate Ulf Nilsson's sticks and play with them
- Slept on the lawn of Jack Quinn on his high school graduation night
- In college he scored a hat trick against future NHL goalie Mike Richter
- Regularly snapped sticks on his shots, even hardy aluminium shafts snapped
- Made his NHL debut in the 1986 Stanley Cup finals
- Wore his father's retired jersey number in his last three games in the NHL

Career transactions
- 2005-10-15 • Announced his retirement
- 2004-08-06 • Signed to a two-year contract by the Phoenix Coyotes
- 2001-08-22 • Signed to a two-plus-one-year contract (incentive option) by the Detroit Red wings
- 1998-07-03 • Signed to a three-plus-one-year contract (club option) by the Dallas Stars
- 1993-03-06 • Re-signed to a five-year contract by the St. Louis Blues
- 1990-06-09 • Re-signed to a three-plus-one-year contract (club option) by the St. Louis Blues
- 1989-06-30 • One-year club option exercised by the St. Louis Blues
- 1988-03-07 • Traded to the St. Louis Blues w/ Steve Bozek for Rob Ramage & Rick Wamsley
- 1986-05-04 • Signed to a three-plus-one-year contract (club option) by the Calgary Flames


Sources:
- Falla, Jack 1985. Slap Shot II: Brett Hull. Sports Illustrated: December 23, 1985.
- Horn, Barry 1993. Brett Hull Wanted Anything But Hockey. Dallas Morning News: January 3, 1993.
- Hull, Brett & Allen, Kevin 2003. Brett: His Own Story. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books
- Kay, Linda 1991. Bart Hull Takes His Shot at Football. Chicago Tribune: August 21, 1991.