Eklund: Bobby Hull Has Passed Away. Buzz@1 with Kevin Allen. 1

One of the greatest players to ever play the game. Not always a great human being, but that's another topic.

So who took more bumps and bruises to earn that million dollar contract? Hull or his wife?

RIP

Hull leaving for the WHA is not how the NHL got Gretzky!! What in the world?

Gretzky was 17 years old. Playing another year in junior hockey was pointless for him. I mean he only had 182 points in 63 games the year before at age 16. So he opted to join the WHA where he could compete against men, better prepare himself for the NHL, and make some money. So as a 17-year old he played one season in the WHA. But it was obviously a short-term thing and he would be joining the NHL as soon as he was elligible.

This would be like saying the Zurich Lions of the Swiss League is what brought Auston Matthews to the NHL. Sigh.

RIP, Bobby Hull.

Hull leaving for the WHA is not how the NHL got Gretzky!! What in the world?

Gretzky was 17 years old. Playing another year in junior hockey was pointless for him. I mean he only had 182 points in 63 games the year before at age 16. So he opted to join the WHA where he could compete against men, better prepare himself for the NHL, and make some money. So as a 17-year old he played one season in the WHA. But it was obviously a short-term thing and he would be joining the NHL as soon as he was elligible.

This would be like saying the Zurich Lions of the Swiss League is what brought Auston Matthews to the NHL. Sigh.

It's a little more direct than the Zurich Lions as his team the Oilers were merged directly into the NHL. Grtezky also got to play in the NHL 2 years sooner than he would have without the collapse of the WHA.

Although NHL was the better league, it wasn't completely one sided because guys like Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and several other players left the NHL for the league. At the time, the WHA was seen as a serious threat like LIV for the PGA. This made it more palatable for the NHL to absorb some of the teams as they did.

Would Gretzky and Messier have eventually shifted to the NHL? Possibly, but no way of truly knowing and it certainly wouldn't have been together for the Oilers.

Winnipeg had a WHL team called the Jets for years before Bobby Hull showed up there. The WHA Jets were named after that team and had the name before signing Hull.

He played 7 full years and part of an 8th in Winnipeg. Does that equal 'very briefly'?

Hull leaving for the WHA is not how the NHL got Gretzky!! What in the world?

Gretzky was 17 years old. Playing another year in junior hockey was pointless for him. I mean he only had 182 points in 63 games the year before at age 16. So he opted to join the WHA where he could compete against men, better prepare himself for the NHL, and make some money. So as a 17-year old he played one season in the WHA. But it was obviously a short-term thing and he would be joining the NHL as soon as he was elligible.

This would be like saying the Zurich Lions of the Swiss League is what brought Auston Matthews to the NHL. Sigh.
- Cooleus

Speaking of Auston Matthews, his Hart Trophy will go down as one of the worst in modern NHL history, along with Corey Perry and Jose Theodore. He didn't even finish top five in scoring, at least Perry did. What an embarrassment for the league that was! It was more of a popularity contest than who was the actual best player in the league.

Thought Sanderson was the first player to get a million $$ per year!?
Anyways, I remember the Summit series! Everyone was disappointed that Hull wasn’t playing. It wasn’t USSR vs Canada, it was USSR vs NHL Canadians! Would have been a different story with Hull playing!

RIP Bobby, At the old Barn in St. Louis in November 1968, Stan Mikita passed to Bobby on left wing and he came across the blue line, slapped it in between two panes if glass and shattered both. Jacques Plante was cleaning out his crease the next 10 minutes. To bad for Bobby and the Hawks, Plante shut them out 1-0 that night.

I was out getting a drink with Paul Walker just a little while ago and we turn the corner and, sure enough, there's the Golden Jet...beating a woman within an inch of her life

You fought them all! (Men & Women, The Law) powerful slapshot! 200 mph ❓️ Incredible roadrunner skating! ⛸️ RIP 🙏

So the WHA Jets already had there name when Hull signed? So the old story that the WHA Winnipeg entry took there name from Hulls nickname is just a myth?

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- OilyJay

Good. Won´t have to read any more comments from some of these saintly ¨hockey fans¨.

Who?

So much misinformation here.

Before Hull and even before the WHA, Winnipeg had a Western Hockey League team named the Jets. The Canadian Football team are the Blue Bombers. Why the aviation references? Winnipeg is the headquarters for Canada's air force.

When the WHA franchise was awarded, the owner made the obvious choice to select the Jets. He was also apparently a huge New York Jets football fan so that was a second reason to choose "Jets".

Had nothing to do with Bobby Hull.

Had a million dollar smile and a shot to match it. He played when hockey was a man's game!!!!!!!!! Now it is a just of shell of those days. No real characters around today
The days of Big Bird, Battleship, Hound Dog, Moose, the Hammer, Demolition, Eddie the entertainer etc are just a distant memory. It took courage and being a little bit nuts to put the skates on in those days but it was really fun. Too many cookie cutter players today with little personality.

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- OilyJay

As the PA announcer said "Blackhawk goal scored by number 9 Bobby Hull assisted by number 21 Stan Mikita Time 16:37