Former NHL, WHA star Bobby Hull passes away at 84

Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, nicknamed the ‘Golden Jet’ and known for his booming shot and scoring prowess, has passed away at the age of 84, the NHL Alumni Association confirmed Monday. Hull was hockey’s first million-dollar player, but his checkered off-ice past as a lightning rod for criticism clouded his legacy as one of the most feared players in the game. No details about his death are known yet.

Hull had 1,808 points in his regular-season career between the NHL and WHA, making him one of the most prolific players in pro hockey history. Armed with a famously blistering slapshot that terrorized goaltenders in an era when most were maskless, Hull led the NHL in goals seven times in his career. He was a Stanley Cup champion in 1961 with the Chicago Blackhawks, a 10-time NHL first all-star team member, a three-time Art Ross Trophy Winner, a two-time Hart Memorial Trophy Winner and was the WHA’s MVP twice.

When Hull retired in 1980, he finished as the second-leading goal scorer and ninth-leading point scorer in NHL history before falling to 17th and 50th, respectively. His son, fellow Hall of Famer Brett, surpassed him to sit fifth and 25th, respectively.

Hull, along with Gordie Howe, is considered to be the biggest star to have an impact in both the NHL and the rival WHA. While at the top of the NHL in 1972, Hull joined the upstart Winnipeg Jets of the WHA and signed what was seen as the biggest contract in hockey at the time with a $1.75 million deal over 10 years. Hull finished with 303 goals in 411 WHA games while still in his prime before finishing one last year in the NHL in 1979-80.

Hull went on to be named to the Hockey Hall of fame in 1983, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was listed as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players’ in History list put out by the league in 2017.

While his on-ice talent put him in the spotlight, his post-career days were rife with controversy. In 1987 he was convicted of assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest him during an altercation with his third wife Deborah. In 2002, Hull’s second wife Joanne alleged in an ESPN documentary interview that Hull beat her with a steel-healed shoe and held her off a balcony while she was “covered in blood’ and fearing for her life during a 1966 trip to Hawaii. Hull was never charged.

Hull was also quoted in 1998 by a Russian media outlet as saying that Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas,” though he denied ever saying such things in a statement issued through the Los Angeles Times.

Hull eventually returned to the Blackhawks in an ambassador role in 2010, appearing at games and other major events. He was removed from the role last season with the Blackhawks claiming they were “redefining the role of team ambassador.” His statue remains outside the United Center alongside former teammate Stan Mikita’s.