Bobby Hull is a Major Problem in Winnipeg
The Winnipeg Jets want to honour the Golden Jet Bobby Hall in their Hall of Fame as part of the franchise history. It’s funny because shouldn’t the Coyotes do that? They already have Hawerchuk’s jersey raised. Aside from debating lineage of the franchise where should some one sit on this issue?
This is tough because Hull is a controversial figure off the ice due to things he did or may have done. Hull was charged with assault of his wife (his second) during their 20 year marriage as well as threatening her. You can read about the Jets position and the contrarian position by Colin Fast
In this CBC article.
The problem is the Jets are wanting to honour the man for his hockey time and as some would say ignore the off-ice stuff. He was never convicted but did plead guilty to assaulting a Chicago police officer but as the article says ‘he never really denied this happened either’ so what is the correct view on this issue.
Part of the problem is that some feel we are looking backward and applying a ‘2016’ more compass on a world that was different 30-40 years ago. Furthermore some will suggest, and many have on Twitter to yours truly, that if we looked in hindsight to all sports greats we would find something less than idillic about them. Something that shatters the myth.
Would we look back on Gretzky differently if we found out today that his wife was involved in gambling? Wait bad example.
Well there is a pretty good example, although an extreme one, and that is Joe Paterno of Penn State. Post-humous he has been carved to shreds, and even as the scandalous and awful allegations about his assistant coach Jerry Sandusky were coming out Paterno when alive was being tarnished. Should people have simply said 'that was year ago, times are different Joe didn't know any better?' Yeah right. Former Nazis are still being convicted if found but when a sports 'hero' we simply sweep it all under the rug?
Some would say these are apples and oranges but I use this example because the same issue arises, this happened long ago. I was alive and watching Bobby Hull in the 70s when what little TV would allow for it to happen if at all and at that time it was no more acceptable to beat your spouse than it is now. Whats the difference? It's awareness not some heightened sense of morals.
Don’t confuse awareness with morals or ethics.
Hull was not just some one who may or may not have been abused his wife, he had some rather strange and despicable opinions.
Like this one. So Hull may have been a racist too, maybe he still is, but is this something you want to honour? That’s the debate.
Well let’s use the time line argument again, and let’s say it’s 1980 and Hull is being honoured by the Jets 1.0 as it begins it’s first NHL odyssey. Would these issues be accepted then? Perhaps not but then again this is awareness not morals. Were people totally aware of them? Not to the extent they are now so here we are in 2016 and the Jets franchise is trying to do some legacy work as part of today’s franchise.
Today’s franchise is not the same as in 1980 or 1970. The fans are aware, the ownership and management is aware and that means they need to deal with this issue. It’s not going away and that’s the problem people seem to forget. Yes he;s being judged around the awareness of the 2016 but that’s also when the idea to honour him is happening so perhaps we need to figure out who really is living under a rock? It’s not just Hull and his bizarre views and possible abuse mentality, it’s those who have decided in this age of awareness to ignore the evidence of the past and focus on one thing.
Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg certainly do deserve the honour the Jets want to bestow on them. They made up the HOT line with Hull and I guess you could say 2 out of 3 ain’t bad but that would simply seem odd to not include the icon of Hull, a long time Winnipeg supporter. It’s not right and frankly it’s not right for this franchise to honour the legacy that clearly goes to Arizona now. That’s the easy way out and the Jets should take it unless they have lost their moral compass too but I think not.
That moral compass is part of the organization and one of the reasons former star Evander Kane is no longer a Jet. I guess if he had been Bobby Hull the Jets would turn a blind eye to his recent history too and ignore the compass?
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