[News] Bobby Hull has died at age 84

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

His hands were freakish. I shook his hand in the dressing room of an old-timers game at the dome. He was the “coach”. Showed up absolutely bombed seconds before they went out for the game. I was young, but I was old enough to catch all the comments the other players were making about him.

what were they saying?

[Old Yeller]

In 1987 Hull pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer who tried to intervene in a domestic dispute between the famed skater and his third wife, Deborah. Deborah Hull never pressed charges against her husband.

In 2002, his second wife, Joanne, told an ESPN SportsCentury documentary what Hull had allegedly done to her on a trip to Hawaii in 1966. In it, she said: "He took my shoe — with a steel heel — and proceeded to hit me in the head. I was covered with blood. And I can remember him holding me over the balcony and I thought this is the end, I'm going." Hull was never charged.

In a 2010 interview with the National Post, one of Hull's few public acknowledgements of the allegations, he seemed to show little remorse. Asked if he is a different person in 2010 than 30 years earlier when many of the allegations were said to have taken place, Hull replied: "Same guy. Same guy with the same attitude toward life. You only pass this way one time, and if you don't have fun, you'll go to the grave, and you'll have missed a lot."

Yeah he was a real piece of ####, hope he died painfully!

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

According to two of his wives and his daughter, yes. I believe he held his first wife over a balcony at one point and threatened to drop her to her death.

Same wife he beat with a boot.

Jackboot?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Was he the one who was a wife beater as well?

He was according to his second wife Joanne and then 3rd.

Hull's second wife, Joanne, whom he wed in 1960 and divorced in 1980, told an ESPN documentary in 2002 that she "took a real beating" at his hands. She described an incident during which Hull "threw me in the room, and just proceeded to knock the heck out of me. He took my shoe – with a steel heel – and proceeded to hit me in the head. I was covered with blood. And I can remember him holding me over the balcony, and I thought this is the end, I'm going."

She filed to end the marriage in 1970 after several more incidents, but they reconciled until Hull threatened her with a loaded shotgun in 1978. Their daughter, Michelle, also described his pattern of behavior to "Sports Century," and she now works as an attorney specializing in domestic violence.

He remarried in 1984, but the incidents of physical abuse continued for new wife Deborah. Hull was arrested in the parking lot of their Willowbrook condominium in 1986 during a violent domestic altercation, and was eventually convicted for taking a swing at an intervening police officer. Willowbrook Police Chief Steven List said "there was evidence he had struck his wife in the face. She had some contusions, some swelling."

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...re-bobby-hull/

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Was he the one who was a wife beater as well?

Yes. He’s the Hall of Fame wife beater with a statue.

[CaptainCrunch]

I still remember growing up and watching him play with the Jets. And my Dad being a good day with links to the Jets one day came home with a couple of autographed game used sticks with the wild banana curve. One of those sticks was worn to a nub playing street hockey but I had the most unpredictable slap shot in road hockey even sailing a Tennis ball over the sealing.

I was there the game after Steve Durbano pulled his weave straight out of his head and Bobby was wearing a helmet to cover the fact that he had been snatched bald.

Off the ice he seemed like a monster though so I'll save all the RIP and stuff. But Bobby was one of my hero's growing up.

[kermitology]

Back when I worked for the Flames, I remember seeing him in one of the suites spouting the most racist #### I've ever heard while completely plastered. #### that guy. I hope he died painfully.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

what were they saying?

Just your typical slights and stuff about probably being out getting boozed up and maybe he won’t even make it. Sure enough he was as gassed as they all predicted. It was just obvious that he wasn’t respected by any of them.

[Eric Vail]

I remember when Brett Hull was a rookie for the Flames and he was being interviewed by Doug Barkley on the radio. He asked what contribution his father had on his hockey career.

Brett's answer: "Purely genetic." and then went to say something like his father took off on him and his mother and had nothing to do with him.

[Kipper_3434]

Not the first guy to mention Hitler's positive work, but Holy cow, the actual quote shows how he wasn't really talking about infrastructure or the economy. Wowza

[Locke]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

According to two of his wives and his daughter, yes. I believe he held his first wife over a balcony at one point and threatened to drop her to her death.

Same wife he beat with a boot.

Hey, is that anyway to respect an Officer of the Order of Canada?

[devo22]

well that's not the kind of RIP thread I expected when I clicked on it ... never knew about the off-ice stuff, wow.

[D as in David]

Yeah, as a kid growing up in Winnipeg I, too, was a big fan of his. The only autograph I ever received was his when he showed up at the Century Arena one time. Not sorry that I lost that autograph. It wasn't only his hands that were huge, his wrists were absolutely massive tree stumps. I think I recall reading once that their circumference was 16".

Played against his son, Bobby Hull, Jr. a few times. Reasonably talented and skated with his tongue sticking out.

[Cole436]

He leaves behind a very complicated legacy. He was a legendary player on the ice and his million dollar contract with the Jets paved the way for much better men to be paid what they were worth.

But you cannot separate the player from the monstrously abusive behaviour.

His family and the survivors of his abuse are in my thoughts.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Complete dirtbag.

[redmile04]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I remember when Brett Hull was a rookie for the Flames and he was being interviewed by Doug Barkley on the radio. He asked what contribution his father had on his hockey career.

Brett's answer: "Purely genetic." and then went to say something like his father took off on him and his mother and had nothing to do with him.

Not entirely surprised to hear this, but very sad.

Did they ever rekindle their relationship? How was it recently?

[MoneyGuy]

Great player, ####ty person.

[White Out 403]

He was as great on the ice as he was an ####### off it

[Shazam]

Never go even partly Hitler.

[bluejays]

As I said before this guy was before my time. I’m sure there were plenty other bigots during that era as well. While it doesn’t give them permission to be that way, it was likely par for the course. This coming from a minority myself, it’s always funny to hear the posturing of one person trying to outdo another in how badly they hate a particular person and do harm. Certainly it’s part of his story but what’s with the overly aggressive statements? Meh. Just a funny thing I’ve noticed in many forums when it comes to controversial figures and how posters react to them.