Bobby Hull

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hull's playing style fundamentally altered how hockey was played and defended against. His ability to rush end-to-end and shoot with such force meant opposing teams often assigned a specific player just to shadow him. This dominance led to the infamous "Bobby Hull Rule," as his and teammate Stan Mikita's use of curved "banana blades" made puck trajectories unpredictable, endangering goalies who rarely wore masks then. The league initially limited blade curvature to 0.5–0.75 inches in response. His physical tools were legendary; he could skate at 29.7 mph (47.8 km/h), and his slapshot was once recorded at 118.3 mph (190.5 km/h). Even during his drive to break the 50-goal barrier, witnesses noted his wrist shot was sometimes harder than his famous slapshot.

In Their Own Story

On March 12, 1966, Bobby Hull etched his name permanently in hockey history at Chicago Stadium. He became the first NHL player to score more than 50 goals in a single season, surpassing Maurice Richard's and Bernie Geoffrion's marks of 50. His 51st goal came against New York Rangers goalie Cesare Maniago, sparking a seven-minute standing ovation from the faithful. That year, he finished with 54 goals, the highest total of the Original Six era, and set a new single-season points record with 97. In the 1968–69 season, despite breaking his own goal-scoring record by netting 58 goals and tallying a career-high 107 points, the Black Hawks missed the playoffs for the first time since his rookie year. By his final NHL season, he had achieved 50 or more goals five times—a feat that, at the time, was only one less than all other players in NHL history combined.

Reader's Guide

Fans should focus on Hull's evolution from a promising debutant to a league-defining force. He joined Chicago in 1957 at age 18 after leading the Woodstock Warriors to the 1955 Sutherland Cup. Originally wearing numbers 16 and 7, he switched to number 9 as a tribute to his idol, Gordie Howe. His early years saw him finish second in Calder Trophy voting before exploding onto the scene in 1959–60, where he led the league in both goals and points (Art Ross Trophy). This double feat was repeated in 1961–62 and 1965–66. During his first fifteen seasons, he was voted a First-Team All-Star left winger ten times. His legacy is cemented by his role in the 1961 Stanley Cup win, ending a 23-year championship drought for Chicago, and his later induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Did You Know?

• Hull's 51st goal on March 12, 1966, against Cesare Maniago earned him a seven-minute standing ovation at Chicago Stadium.
• He led the NHL in goals seven times, the second most of any player in history.
• His slapshot was once clocked at 118.3 mph (190.5 km/h), while he could skate at 29.7 mph (47.8 km/h).
• Hull scored his 1,000th combined goal against the Quebec Nordiques on March 11, 1978, becoming only the second player in history to reach that mark after Gordie Howe.
• He was the first NHL player to score more than 50 goals in a season, finishing with 54 in 1965–66.