Brett Hull

Admitting that he was viewed as a "pudgy, fun-loving, music-crazed bum" in his youth, Hull stated in his autobiography that he was not surprised when he failed to attract the attention of a junior team.[2] He was first eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 1982, but as he was still playing in a juvenile league, was passed over without interest. He joined the Penticton Knights of the tier-II British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) in the 1982–83 season where he scored 48 goals in 50 games. He was again passed over at the 1983 Entry Draft as teams remained unconvinced of his commitment to the game and his conditioning.[8] NHL teams finally took notice of Hull following his 1983–84 season in which he scored 105 goals in 56 games and broke the BCJHL scoring record with 188 points.[2] The Calgary Flames selected him in the sixth round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 117th overall.[9]

Hull accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD), and in 1984–85, scored 32 goals as a freshman. The power of his shot terrorized opposition goaltenders.[10] He was awarded the Jerry Chumola Award as the school's rookie of the year and received similar honors from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).[11] His coaches at Minnesota-Duluth impressed on Hull the need to improve his skating,[2] and in 1985–86, he broke the school record of 49 goals in one season, reaching 52 for the campaign.[12] Hull was named the WCHA first team all-star at right wing and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[13]

In his two seasons at UMD, Hull set numerous school scoring records. He holds the records for most goals by a rookie (32) and most goals in one season (52). His 20 power play goals, seven hat tricks and 13 multiple-goal games in 1985–86 are all records, and he shares the school's single-game playoff record of four goals.[14] The school retired his jersey number 29 in 2006.[15]

Choosing to turn professional following his sophomore season, Hull signed a contract with the Calgary Flames and joined the team during the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He made his NHL debut on May 20, 1986, in game three of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. His best scoring opportunity came when he hit the post in his first shift of the game. He appeared in two games of the Flames' five-game series loss to Montreal.[8]

The Flames assigned Hull to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Moncton Golden Flames, for the majority of the 1986–87 season. He scored 50 goals, tying an AHL rookie record,[9] and his 93 points was third best in the league. He won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the league's rookie of the year and was named to the first all-star team.[2] He earned a brief recall to Calgary during the season. He made his regular season debut on November 13, 1986, against the Hartford Whalers and scored his first NHL goal against Steve Weeks on a breakaway. It was the game-winning goal in a 4–3 victory.[8] Hull appeared in five regular season games for the Flames and played in four playoff games where he scored two goals and added an assist.[16]

Hull earned a spot on the Flames for the 1987–88 NHL season, though the team continued to work with him on his conditioning.[2] He appeared in 52 games for the Flames, scoring 26 goals and 50 points.[16] He did not finish the season in Calgary however. On March 7, 1988, Hull was traded, along with Steve Bozek, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Rob Ramage and goaltender Rick Wamsley.[17]

Hull during his time with the Blues in 1993

Hull led the St. Louis Blues with 41 goals in 1988–89, but his poor skating and inattention to his defensive responsibilities concerned the club. Head coach Brian Sutter convinced Hull to improve his conditioning over the summer. He arrived to begin the 1989–90 season in much better shape and showed a marked improvement in his skating.[10] Center Adam Oates, acquired over the summer, joined Hull on the top line. The pair, dubbed "Hull and Oates" as a play on the band Hall and Oates, were prolific scorers with Oates being an excellent passer and Hull being an excellent shooter.[18] Hull scored 228 goals between 1989–90 and 1991–92, the second-highest three-season total of any player in NHL history, behind only Wayne Gretzky's 250 tallies between 1981–82 and 1983–84.[8] He became the fifth player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games in 1990–91,[19]—joining Maurice Richard, Mike Bossy, Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux—then repeated the feat in 1991–92.[20]

He led the league in goal scoring all three seasons and was named to the First All-Star Team each year. He collected numerous league awards, winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1990 as the league's most sportsmanlike player, then in 1991, won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL's most valuable player as selected by the league and his fellow players respectively.[13] His total of 86 goals in 1990–91 is the third highest for a single season in NHL history,[21] after Gretzky's 92 goals in 1981–82 and 87 in 1983–84. Oates left the Blues midway through the 1991–92 season,[22] and while Hull's offensive production dropped, he remained the Blues' top offensive threat. He recorded his fourth and fifth consecutive 50-goal seasons, scoring 54 in 1992–93 and 57 in 1993–94.[2]

Hull clashed with head coach Mike Keenan, who joined the team in 1994–95, primarily over the latter's changes to team personnel.[23] Hull, who had been named team captain in 1992,[24] was stripped of the captaincy.[25] By early 1996, the two were publicly criticizing each other in the media.[26] Forced to choose between the player and coach, the Blues fired Keenan on December 19, 1996.[25] Hull responded three nights later with a hat trick against the Los Angeles Kings to reach 500 goals for his NHL career. He and Bobby are the only father-son pair who both reached that total.[27]

After 43- and 42-goal seasons in 1995–96 and 1996–97, Hull scored only 27 in 1997–98.[2] He became an unrestricted free agent following the season after rejecting a three-year, $15 million offer from the Blues because the team refused to include a no-trade clause. He left St. Louis, signing a three-year, $17 million contract with the Dallas Stars on July 2, 1998.[28]

Hull reached 1,000 points in his career when he notched a goal and an assist in a 3–1 victory with the Dallas Stars over the Boston Bruins on November 14, 1998.[29] He then scored his 600th goal on December 31, 1999.[2] He scored 32 goals in 1998–99 despite struggling with a groin injury for much of the season.[16][30] The Stars reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, against the Buffalo Sabres. The sixth game of the series went to overtime tied 1–1 while Dallas held a 3–2 series lead. At 14:51 of the third overtime period, Hull collected a rebound in front of the Buffalo net and put the puck past goaltender Dominik Hašek to win the game, and the Stanley Cup, for Dallas.[31]

The Sabres immediately protested the goal, as NHL rules of the time stated that a player could not score a goal if any part of his body was within the goal crease. Replays showed that Hull's skate was within the crease when he scored, however the NHL ruled that he had possession of the puck prior to entering the crease, making the goal legal. League officials stated that that very scenario was addressed in a memo sent to the league's on-ice officials prior to the start of the playoffs.[31] Hull himself states the goal was legal, supporting the claim that the NHL had altered the rules in a private memo sent to all teams but not released to the public.[32] Media, fans and players across the league remain divided on the goal, some claiming that the league altered the rule after the fact.[8] It remains especially controversial in Buffalo, where fans and former players continue to maintain that the play should have been ruled "no goal".[33] The NHL formally abolished the crease rule prior to the next season, allowing players to score from within the crease freely as long as they did not interfere with the goaltender.[34]

As a member of the Stars in their Stanley Cup winning season, Hull wore sweater number 22, as his customary number 16 was worn by Pat Verbeek. Hull would switch back to number 16 the following season when Verbeek left the team as a free agent. Though he appeared in 79 games in 1999–2000, Hull had what coach Ken Hitchcock called "a disappointing season", struggling defensively and scoring only 24 goals.[35] His offensive production improved in the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs as he led the league in post-season scoring with 10 goals and 23 points.[36] The Stars again reached the finals, but lost the series in six games to the New Jersey Devils.[37] Hull scored 39 goals in 2000–01, his best total in four years.[16] He surpassed his father's career total when he scored his 611th goal in a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 10, 2000.[38] Hull played his 1,000th career game on February 25, 2001, in Calgary.[39]

The Stars chose not to exercise their option on Hull's contract that would have paid him $7 million for the 2001–02 NHL season, making him a free agent.[40] Although he received superior financial offers from the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, Hull chose to sign a two-year, $9 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings to pursue a second Stanley Cup championship.[41] He joined an already star-studded team that earlier that same offseason had acquired goaltender Dominik Hasek, and also signed winger Luc Robitaille.

As a member of the Red Wings, Hull switched to sweater number 17 out of respect for Vladimir Konstantinov, who wore number 16 for the Red Wings before his playing career ended due to a limousine accident a week after Detroit's 1997 Stanley Cup championship. As of 2021, no player has worn the number 16 for the Red Wings since Konstantinov.

Hull subsequently scored 30 goals that season as the Red Wings dominated their opponents, earning the President's Trophy as the NHL's top team. During the regular season, he was put on a line with Boyd Devereaux and rookie Pavel Datsyuk, a combination in which Hull himself referred to as "two kids and a goat".

Hull would then score a league-leading 10 in the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs,[36] as the Red Wings defeated the Vancouver Canucks, his former team the St. Louis Blues, and the rival Colorado Avalanche en route to their fourth Finals appearance in eight years. He'd score a hat trick in the deciding sixth game in the opening round against Vancouver, while adding two goals in the second round against the Blues. He then scored three goals in the Western Conference Finals against the Avalanche, including one in Detroit's stunning 7–0 rout of Colorado in the decisive Game 7.

He scored key goals in Detroit's game three and four victories against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals; the latter was the 100th playoff goal of his career.[42] Hull won his second career championship as the Red Wings won the series in five games.[43]

Hull posted a 37-goal, 76-point campaign in 2002–03.[16] He became the sixth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals on February 10, 2003, against the San Jose Sharks.[44] At age 38, Hull signed a one-year, $5 million extension with the Red Wings.[45] After scoring 25 goals in 2003–04,[16] Hull would score three goals during the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs for Detroit, who were eliminated by the eventual Western Conference champion Calgary Flames in six games in the second round.

The Stars thought they were on the verge of signing Hull to a one-year contract for 2004–05, but he instead accepted a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.[46] The first year of the contract was wiped out when the season was cancelled due to a labor stoppage. When play resumed in 2005–06, Hull returned to the ice wearing his father's jersey number 9. The Coyotes franchise, which had relocated from Winnipeg in 1996, continued to honor the Jets' retired numbers, including the elder Hull's. Bobby requested that the team un-retire his uniform and allow his son to wear it.[47] However, after playing just five games and recording one assist, Hull felt that he was no longer able to play at the level he expected of himself. On October 15, 2005, he announced his retirement as a player.[48]

Bold indicates led league