Dennis Hull
Encyclopedia
Dennis William Hull is a retired professional ice hockey
left winger
, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks
of the National Hockey League
. He is the brother of Bobby Hull
and uncle of Brett Hull
.
, where they were both teammates on the Chicago Black Hawks for eight seasons.
Dennis emerged as a star player on his own, scoring over 300 goals in his own right, and earning the nickname "the Silver Jet" (Bobby was known as "the Golden Jet"). Some commentators often wondered whether Bobby or Dennis had the harder shot.
When Bobby was excluded from the 1972 Summit Series because he played in the WHA, Dennis initially planned to boycott the event as well as a show of support for his brother, but Bobby persuaded him to stay on Team Canada. During the series, Hull took over from Vic Hadfield
for the left wing position on the New York Rangers
"Goal A Game" line with Jean Ratelle
and Rod Gilbert
, managing two goals and two assists in four games.http://www.1972summitseries.com/dhull.html
He was named a Second Team All-Star and played in five NHL All-Star Games. His best years were as part of the "MPH" (pun on 'miles per hour' using each player's last initials) line with centre Pit Martin and right wing Jim Pappin. The line was considered one of the better units in the NHL in the early to mid-1970s. He recorded seasons of 40, 30, 39 and 29 goals from 1971 through 1974. His best season was in 1973 when he recorded 39 goals and 51 assists for 90 points. He was instrumental in Chicago's appearance in the Stanley Cup
Finals that season. Hull led the team with 9 goals and 15 assists for 24 points, finishing second in playoff scoring that season.
He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League
, with the Chicago Black Hawks
(1964-1977) and Detroit Red Wings
(1977–78).
, where he played Ontario Hockey League
Junior hockey (St. Catharines Teepees
1960-1964), to study at Brock University
, graduating with a degree in History and Physical Education. He then taught at Ridley College
and then became Athletic Director of Illinois Institute of Technology
in Chicago
.
Recently, he has been noted as a public speaker and comedian, and continues to operate a cattle farm raising Polled Hereford with his brother Gary in Northumberland County, Ontario
. He has written a book entitled "The Third Best Hull" (ECW Press) which contains entertaining and often hilarious memoirs of his hockey career. Hull became good friends with Soviet goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak
, whom he had played against during the 1972 Summit Series, recalling "I told Tretiak that he's become famous for letting in [Henderson's] goal...I said to him that 'if you had stopped it, you'd probably be a cab driver in Moscow today.' "http://www.1972summitseries.com/dhull.html
Perhaps the funniest story he shares with the world was the time he and Russian, Alexander Yakushev
, were driving in a car during a reunion event near Ottawa
. (The two are now friends- despite the spitting incident in game 6 of the Summit Series). They drove over to the Quebec side of the border and passed through the City of Hull. Yakushev asked the driver to pull over when he saw the city sign, and he got out. Then he yelled at Dennis, "Son of a bitch! They name entire cities after you guys here!"
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He is the brother of Bobby Hull
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...
and uncle of Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
.
Career
As a player he was in the shadow of his older brother Bobby HullBobby Hull
Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...
, where they were both teammates on the Chicago Black Hawks for eight seasons.
Dennis emerged as a star player on his own, scoring over 300 goals in his own right, and earning the nickname "the Silver Jet" (Bobby was known as "the Golden Jet"). Some commentators often wondered whether Bobby or Dennis had the harder shot.
When Bobby was excluded from the 1972 Summit Series because he played in the WHA, Dennis initially planned to boycott the event as well as a show of support for his brother, but Bobby persuaded him to stay on Team Canada. During the series, Hull took over from Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
for the left wing position on the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
"Goal A Game" line with Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
and Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle...
, managing two goals and two assists in four games.http://www.1972summitseries.com/dhull.html
He was named a Second Team All-Star and played in five NHL All-Star Games. His best years were as part of the "MPH" (pun on 'miles per hour' using each player's last initials) line with centre Pit Martin and right wing Jim Pappin. The line was considered one of the better units in the NHL in the early to mid-1970s. He recorded seasons of 40, 30, 39 and 29 goals from 1971 through 1974. His best season was in 1973 when he recorded 39 goals and 51 assists for 90 points. He was instrumental in Chicago's appearance in the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals that season. Hull led the team with 9 goals and 15 assists for 24 points, finishing second in playoff scoring that season.
He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, with the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
(1964-1977) and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
(1977–78).
After Hockey
Upon retirement as a player, he became a broadcaster, as well as an educator, returning to St. Catharines, OntarioSt. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, where he played Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
Junior hockey (St. Catharines Teepees
St. Catharines Teepees
The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
1960-1964), to study at Brock University
Brock University
Brock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
, graduating with a degree in History and Physical Education. He then taught at Ridley College
Ridley College
Ridley College is a co-educational boarding and day university-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 20 miles from Niagara Falls...
and then became Athletic Director of Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Recently, he has been noted as a public speaker and comedian, and continues to operate a cattle farm raising Polled Hereford with his brother Gary in Northumberland County, Ontario
Northumberland County, Ontario
Northumberland County is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in central Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Durham County , west of Hastings, southeast of Kawartha Lakes and south of Peterborough County. The county seat is Cobourg...
. He has written a book entitled "The Third Best Hull" (ECW Press) which contains entertaining and often hilarious memoirs of his hockey career. Hull became good friends with Soviet goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Tretiak
Vladislav Aleksandrovich Tretiak, MSM is a former goaltender for the Soviet Union's national ice hockey team. Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport, he was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's Centennial All-Star Team in a...
, whom he had played against during the 1972 Summit Series, recalling "I told Tretiak that he's become famous for letting in [Henderson's] goal...I said to him that 'if you had stopped it, you'd probably be a cab driver in Moscow today.' "http://www.1972summitseries.com/dhull.html
Perhaps the funniest story he shares with the world was the time he and Russian, Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Yakushev
Alexander Sergeyevich Yakushev was an ice hockey player for the Soviet Union.Born in Moscow, Soviet Union, Alexander Yakushev is best known to North American hockey fans as one of the stars for the Soviet team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series...
, were driving in a car during a reunion event near Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. (The two are now friends- despite the spitting incident in game 6 of the Summit Series). They drove over to the Quebec side of the border and passed through the City of Hull. Yakushev asked the driver to pull over when he saw the city sign, and he got out. Then he yelled at Dennis, "Son of a bitch! They name entire cities after you guys here!"
Accomplishments and awards
- OHA-Jr.Ontario Hockey AssociationThe Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
First All-Star Team (1964) - NHL Second All-Star Team (1973)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1960–61 | St. Catharines Teepees St. Catharines Teepees The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... |
47 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 50 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | St. Catharines Black Hawks St. Catharines Black Hawks The St. Catharines Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1962 to 1976. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHA | 50 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 55 | 48 | 49 | 97 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
55 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1965–66 | St. Louis Braves St. Louis Braves The St. Louis Braves were a minor league hockey club located in St. Louis, Missouri. The team originated as the Syracuse Braves in the Eastern Professional Hockey League's final season of 1962–63. The team was moved to St. Louis mid-season, and continued in the new Central Hockey League after the... |
CPHL | 40 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 25 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1966–67 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1967–68 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 74 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1968–69 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 72 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 76 | 17 | 35 | 52 | 31 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1970–71 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 40 | 26 | 66 | 16 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 1971–72 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1972–73 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 39 | 51 | 90 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 4 | ||
| 1973–74 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 74 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 69 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1975–76 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 80 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 28 | 4 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 75 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
NHL | 55 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 959 | 303 | 351 | 654 | 261 | 104 | 33 | 34 | 77 | 30 | ||||