Club 1974:
Winnipeg Jets

 
Bobby Hull
# 16, Team CANADA 1974

Club: Winnipeg Jets
Position: LW  Shoots: Left
Height: 5-10 Weight: 191
Born: 1/3/1939 in Point Anne, Ontario

Like Gordie Howe, it is impossible to do justice to Bobby Hull's career in a few paragraphs. Hull was one of the finest players in the history of North American professional hockey. He had the amazing ability to score goals, seemingly at will, for almost any area of the ice. He was also legendary for his powerful shot, considered to be the hardest in the history of the game.

Bobby Hull broke into the NHL to stay during the 1957-58 season with the Chicago Black Hawks. After two average seasons Bobby took off. From 1959-60 until 1971-72 he never failed to score at least 30 goals every year. In that time period he scored 50 goals or more goals in a season 5 times and was the first player in NHL history to score more than 50 goals in a year. In the summer of 1972 Bobby who had earned $90,000 the year before with Chicago asked for an increase to $100,000.00 The Hawks turned him down flat. Along came the WHA Winnipeg Jets who offered him $250,000 per season plus a $1,000,000.00 signing bonus! Bobby took the deal, making him the highest paid player in professional sports and giving the WHA instant credibility as a major league. The NHL furious at Hull for signing with the WHA banned Bobby from playing for Team Canada in that years' Summit Series. That decision caused a massive uproar across the country as Canadians were livid at Hull being banned. Team Canada's narrow escape in the series made it obvious to all that Hull would have been very valuable to the team if he had been allowed to play.

Bobby was the first player named to the roster for Team Canada 74. He was determined to have a big series to show the NHL just how wrong they had been for banning him two years before. Bobby didn't disappoint. He had a strong training camp, despite injuring a knee, playing on a line with Andre Lacroix, and John Mackenzie. In game 1 Bobby scored twice, including the game-tying goal with less than 6 minutes to go and added an assist. In game 2 he had a goal and an assist. In game 4 Bobby blasted 3 pucks past Vladislav Tretiak. He scored a goal against Sweden in Team Canada's 4-3 victory however he "cooled off" in Moscow. In the final 4 games, Bobby was held to a single goal. (He also scored what would have been the game winning goal in the final second of game 7, however it was disallowed.) This was attributed to a number of reasons. The play of his linemates Andre Lacroix and to a much greater extent John MacKenzie tailed off. Bobby's knee, which he injured in training camp, grew steadily worse as the series went on, hampering his skating. The Soviets also went "all out" in an effort to shut him down. Despite the lack of production in Moscow Bobby's overall play in the series made it clear to hockey fans everywhere that Team Canada made a dreadful mistake banning him in 1972.

Over the next few seasons Bobby Hull would continue to have great success against the Soviets. He would be considered Team Canada's finest forward in the 1976 Canada Cup. In numerous meetings between the WHA Winnipeg Jets and the Soviets, Bobby would display a tremendous talent for scoring leaving the Soviets almost bewildered in their attempts to shut him down.

 

CAREER HIGHLIGTS:

- Played in the professional hockey leagues: 1957-80
- Pro hockey clubs:
NHL: Chicago, Hartford; WHA: Winnipeg
- Stanley Cups (1): 1961
- AVCO Trophy (2): 1976, 1978
- NHL awards:
Art Ross Trophy 1960, 1962, 1966
Hart Memorial Trophy 1965, 1966
Lady Byng Trophy 1966
NHL All Star (1st Team) 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972
NHL All Star (2nd Team) 1963, 1971
- WHA awards:
Gary L. Davidson Award (MVP) 1973, 1975
WHA All Star (1st Team) 1973, 1974, 1975
WHA All Star (2nd Team) 1976
- Hockey Hall of Fame: 1983

PERFORMANCE IN THE 1974 SUMMIT

THE SUMMIT IN 1974:
Site Contents
Summit Statistics: Game Summaries | Statistics
Team Rosters: Canada | USSR
Seven Seasons '72-'79: WHA | USSR | World
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Arthur R. Chidlovski

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