Hull’s ugly history of domestic abuse and racism has long overshadowed his impressive on-ice legacy.
The Blackhawks’ immorality house-cleaning has justifiably swept legendary former player-turned-ambassador Bobby Hull out the door, too.
Hull and the Hawks mutually parted ways earlier this season, the team announced Monday, although it’s not hard to decipher the impetus for that decision.
“We’re redefining the role of team ambassador — which unfortunately comes on the heels of losing two very special members of that family,” the Hawks said in a statement. “When it comes to Bobby specifically, we jointly agreed earlier this season that he will retire from any official team role.”
Stan Mikita’s death in 2018, Tony Esposito’s death in 2021 and Hull’s departure now in 2022 leaves just Chris Chelios and Denis Savard as the Hawks’ two remaining ambassadors at the moment.
Hull’s history of horrible off-ice behavior — including rampant allegations of domestic abuse and racism — have overshadowed his impressive on-ice legacy for decades, making his continued ambassadorship a black eye for the organization.
Hull was named an ambassador in 2008 well after those allegations had surfaced, though, suggesting — until now — the Hawks didn’t care about them.
But with CEO Danny Wirtz and business president Jaime Faulkner bringing fresh perspectives and a new culture of accountability to the Hawks, seeking to advance the franchise’s workplace and operations into current times in the wake of the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal, removing Hull was a no-brainer.
It’s a very wise, if long overdue, decision.
Hull was convicted in 1987 of assaulting a police officer who intervened in an argument between Hull and his then-wife Deborah. A 2002 ESPN mini-documentary included his previous wife, Joanne, recounting a fight in which Hull beat her in the head with a steel-heeled shoe and then held her off a balcony in Hawaii.
Hull’s daughter Michelle, who became a defense lawyer for female abuse victims, also detailed Hull’s history of alcoholism in that ESPN documentary.
Meanwhile, a Russian publication in 1997 infamously quoted Hull saying that “Hitler had some good ideas,” claiming that the Black population was growing too fast and supporting genetic breeding. Hull denied the comments and sued the publication at the time.
Those controversies have retroactively cast a dark shadow over Hull’s prolific playing career, which earned his lasting nickname of “The Golden Jet.”
The two-time MVP, three-time Art Ross Trophy winner and seven-time league-leading goal-scorer spent the first two-thirds of his lengthy career with the Hawks before jumping to the World Hockey Association with the Jets and Whalers. Hull scored 1,153 points in 1,036 NHL games for the Hawks between 1957 and 1972, then another 638 points in 411 WHA games before retiring in 1980.
His statue still stands, alongside Mikita’s, outside the United Center on Madison Street, and that’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon — although the old Hawks statue across the street that was vandalized by anti-Native American mascot protestors in 2020 has seemingly been permanently removed.
But Hull will presumably no longer appear in the flesh at Hawks promotional events and such, as he previously did at annual summer Hawks Conventions and Winter Classic games.
As the Hawks begin the long process of repairing their image in the Chicago sports community, this small move represents an encouraging step in the right direction.
Note: The Hawks sent down forwards Brett Connolly and Josiah Slavin to Rockford on Saturday and Monday, respectively. Top prospect Lukas Reichel will stay up for this week of NHL practice but will likely be sent down before the Hawks’ next game Friday against the Devils.