Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull dies at 84
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull died at the age of 84, the NHL Alumni Association confirmed Monday.
Hull is the Chicago Blackhawks' all-time leading goal scorer with 604 in 1,036 games. He also played 18 NHL contests with the Winnipeg Jets and nine more with the Hartford Whalers, in addition to suiting up for seven seasons with the Jets in the WHA.
The former winger, who earned the nickname "The Golden Jet," amassed 610 goals and 560 assists over 16 NHL campaigns, notching another 303 tallies and 335 helpers across 411 WHA contests.
Hull won the Hart Trophy twice, the Art Ross Trophy three times, and helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961. The Hall of Fame inducted him in 1983, and the NHL named him one of its 100 greatest players in 2017.
However, several off-ice transgressions overshadowed some of his on-ice achievements. In 1998, a Russian newspaper quoted him as saying Adolf Hitler had "some good ideas" but "just went a little bit too far." He denied making the comments.
In a 1986 incident, he was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened during a dispute between Hull and his then-wife, Deborah. He was also charged with battery, but that was dropped because she didn't want to testify against her husband. In 2002, Hull's second wife, Joanne, said he abused her.
The Blackhawks named Hull a team ambassador along with fellow franchise icon Stan Mikita in 2008, but the club removed Hull from the role in 2022.