Bobby Hull: Ambassador for hockey?

[ImporterExporter]

I another thread, somebody suggested Bobby Hull was a wonderful ambassador to the game of hockey. Obviously, everyone knows his exploits on the ice but what many might not be aware of was just how big an ******* he was off the ice, namely to his wives/family.

I found this interesting article on the travesty that was Bobby Hull off the ice. My God, ambassador to the game of hockey? If he was a normal bloke he'd have served jail time for many transgressions off the ice.

It's interesting that an elder member would try and paint Hull as a world class ambassador to hockey when this kind of information is readily available, if one so chooses to investigate.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/05/bernstein-blackhawks-now-must-fire-bobby-hull/

As long as we’re digging into personal backgrounds to find ways to protect the pristine image of a franchise, let’s turn a similar spotlight on that of Bobby Hull, the Hall-of-Fame winger who serves currently as an official Blackhawks Ambassador.

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.â€

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.â€

https://www.secondcityhockey.com/20...dor-domestic-abuse-hitler-winter-classic-2017

Roughly 15 years after the airing of that ESPN profile, Hull trotted out onto the ice at Busch Stadium as an ambassador of the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday afternoon. Surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, with millions more watching at home, Hull dropped the ceremonial puck with his son, Brett. It was meant to be a delightful father-son moment, and for many watching at home, I’m guessing it was.

But that’s partially because so few fans seem to be aware of Bobby Hull’s history. They don’t know that just a dozen years ago, Brett had openly discussed how his father ignored him as a kid. They don’t know that Bobby was convicted in 1987 of assaulting a police officer who tried to intervene in an argument with his then-wife Deborah. They don’t know about the history of domestic abuse, or that he told a newspaper in 1998 that “Hitler had some good ideas, he just went a little bit too far."

Click to read more...

 

[Plural]

I know Hull is not a good person by any standards but do we really need to open up threads with the sole purpose of discussing terrible personal life decisions players have made?

 

[pappyline]

I know Hull is not a good person by any standards but do we really need to open up threads with the sole purpose of discussing terrible personal life decisions players have made?

I agree. This verges on slander. To the best of my knowledge he was never convicted or even charged with any crime. Regarding the Hitler thing, he claims he was misquoted in a Russian newspaper and I believe sued them successfully.

This thread should be deleted.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Slander? Give me a break. He was convicted of striking a police officer. It's linked.

And pappy you yourself brought up what a brilliant ambassador he was for the game. It's absurd to paint him in that light given transgressions off the ice IMO.

Slander is when you have no cooraborating evidence to support a claim or statement.

Edit: I think if anything this goes to show you how little domestic abuse against women was taken seriously in an older time. Pretty sad really.

 

[VanIslander]

Do you boo Patrick Kane for the taxi cab incident?
Do you diss Tim Thomas for not going to the White House?
Do you laugh at Dustin Byfuglien for being arrested for being drunk while motorboating?



An ambassador for the sport need not be an ideal citizen. It's about the sport!

wilt Chamberlain was a NOTORIOUS lady's man who skirted his paternal responsibilities with countless offspring and yet in terms of the SPORT, he was and remains an ambassador of the greatness of the SPORT:

 

[JackSlater]

Bobby Hull has been a great ambassador for hockey. Hull was probably the biggest star in the NHL in the 60s, and almost certainly the most charismatic. In terms of style of play he was probably the best representative that hockey has ever had other than maybe Bobby Orr - strong, skilled, tough and exciting, not dirty and not a complainer. He has always (according to literally everything I have ever seen) been great with fans, which is important for spreading positive attitudes toward hockey. His son has certainly commented on the lessons that his father gave him with regard to treatment of fans.

All of the above is pertinent to Hull's place as a hockey ambassador. His personal life, including various allegations (though no convictions) of abuse toward two (that I know of) of his former wives, is not so pertinent in this area. This isn't even considering that Hull has seemingly seen the error of his ways and is on good terms with his kids and with his wife of several decades. Considering speculation on Hull's family life over his hockey career and interactions leads to unfortunate situations like the Winnipeg Jets' best and most significant player not showing up for his own induction to their inaugural hall of fame induction ceremony.

The world isn't black and white. Hull can be a bad husband and father (which seems to be the case for at least part of his life) and maybe even a bad person while still being a tremendous ambassador for hockey due to his level of play and his treatment of fans.

 

[pappyline]

Slander? Give me a break. He was convicted of striking a police officer. It's linked.

And pappy you yourself brought up what a brilliant ambassador he was for the game. It's absurd to paint him in that light given transgressions off the ice IMO.

Slander is when you have no cooraborating evidence to support a claim or statement.

Edit: I think if anything this goes to show you how little domestic abuse against women was taken seriously in an older time. Pretty sad really.

What link? A opinion column someone wrote. The only evidence is hearsay.

 

[ImporterExporter]

I'm glad folks think his of ice transgressions set a tremendous example for young people to follow. You can be a raging ******* as long as you are a great player and sign a bunch of autographs....Guess I was raised differently and care more about how our sports heroes carry themselves on AND off the playing surface.

 

[VanIslander]

I'm glad folks think his of ice transgressions set a tremendous example for young people to follow. You can be a raging ******* as long as you are a great player and sign a bunch of autographs....Guess I was raised differently and care more about how our sports heroes carry themselves on AND off the playing surface.

It's apt that it's Sunday morning right now. But ImporterExporter, I don't think this is the place to be.

BTW, your avatar guy is a gambler. (Think of the children!)

 

[iamjs]

I agree. This verges on slander. To the best of my knowledge he was never convicted or even charged with any crime. Regarding the Hitler thing, he claims he was misquoted in a Russian newspaper and I believe sued them successfully.

This thread should be deleted.

8/26/98: Hull speaks with paper http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...1_worthy-idea-nhl-players-nhl-star-bobby-hull

8/27/98: Hull acknowledges the topic of Hitler being discussed and that the topic was brought up by journalists. http://articles.latimes.com/1998/aug/27/sports/sp-17129

9/18/98: Hull announces to the Canadian Jewish Congress that "he was set up" and plans to sue the Moscow Times and Toronto Sun.

11/20/1998: Hull Sues for slander. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hull-sues-papers-for-slander/

I can't find anything saying that he was successful with his lawsuit, if it was thrown out, or if a settlement was reached.

 

[ImporterExporter]

My avatar, Van, is a fictional character.

Also playing poker is a far cry from beating your wives and taking swings at a police officer. Just saying.

 

[Killion]

Bobby Hull has been a great ambassador for hockey. Hull was probably the biggest star in the NHL in the 60s, and almost certainly the most charismatic. In terms of style of play he was probably the best representative that hockey has ever had other than maybe Bobby Orr - strong, skilled, tough and exciting, not dirty and not a complainer. He has always (according to literally everything I have ever seen) been great with fans, which is important for spreading positive attitudes toward hockey. His son has certainly commented on the lessons that his father gave him with regard to treatment of fans.

All of the above is pertinent to Hull's place as a hockey ambassador. His personal life, including various allegations (though no convictions) of abuse toward two (that I know of) of his former wives, is not so pertinent in this area. This isn't even considering that Hull has seemingly seen the error of his ways and is on good terms with his kids and with his wife of several decades. Considering speculation on Hull's family life over his hockey career and interactions leads to unfortunate situations like the Winnipeg Jets' best and most significant player not showing up for his own induction to their inaugural hall of fame induction ceremony.

The world isn't black and white. Hull can be a bad husband and father (which seems to be the case for at least part of his life) and maybe even a bad person while still being a tremendous ambassador for hockey due to his level of play and his treatment of fans.

.... couldnt have said it better myself.

I'm glad folks think his of ice transgressions set a tremendous example for young people to follow. You can be a raging ******* as long as you are a great player and sign a bunch of autographs....Guess I was raised differently and care more about how our sports heroes carry themselves on AND off the playing surface.

.... whoa there I/E, nice Drive-Bye Buddy. .... you know what?.... none of our hero's are perfect, none of them. To err is human. So many of them, giants of the past, just in the last century alone, individuals who have been deified, statutes erected in their honor, glowing auto-biographies & biographies, movies made about their lives... totally whitewashing, glossing over, never actually dealing with the truth, the facts that off the stage, off the field or ice, outside of the political arena or battlefields, these were Men who were beyond flawed. In some cases complete & utter reprobates. Committed acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, subjugation, treason, you name it. Yet no one talks about it, unaware, uniformed, "dont want to know", prefer a medicated state of cognitive dissonance, their minds unable to deal with or face the truth about their hero's, about events, bought into the Hollywood version & thats that.

Bobby Hull was & still is a "Hockey Ambassador". This you cannot argue with nor can you change it, "erase Bobby Hull" because of his pattern of absolutely despicable, twisted & gutless spousal abuse. Because he was such a brilliant player, beyond high profile & much loved by the public and still is... its' tinged with sadness, disappointment & melancholia, very bittersweet, life taken in totality, in terms of perspective on & off the ice. But... A life laid bare as it has been & rightfully so, there are a number of invaluable lessons that can be learned from it, from the Life & Times of Bobby Hull.... I'm not gonna tell you what those lessons are. Your a smart guy Import/Export. As the years pass you'll figure them out for yourself .... hopefully. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Maybe not for 10-20-40yrs. But eventually you will catch on to those glimmers of truth & wisdom & hopefully come to appreciate the lessons that were & are Bobby Hull's life. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. No ones asking you to forgive him. He is Unforgiven, knows it, lives with it everyday. No one could be a harsher critic, casting of the most damnable judgments upon someone in such a case than Bobby Hull himself.

... let he who casts the first stone be blameless.

 

[VanIslander]

My avatar, Van, is a fictional character.

No, it's the actor Jason Alexander doing his job as an actor. What the man does when he's not working isn't relevant here, is it?

Also playing poker is a far cry from beating your wives and taking swings at a police officer.

These activities are a far cry from ice hockey, aren't they?

 

[overpass]

Many hockey fans aren't interested in gossip about the private lives of players.

 

[Plural]

I'm glad folks think his of ice transgressions set a tremendous example for young people to follow. You can be a raging ******* as long as you are a great player and sign a bunch of autographs....Guess I was raised differently and care more about how our sports heroes carry themselves on AND off the playing surface.

I'll try to put this nicely since this is not a place where toxic language is allowed, but are you really this high and mighty? Someone thinking Hull's off the game/ice behavior is not relevant to his on ice/game behavior is not necessarily condoning domestic abuse racism or child neglect. Frankly, I find it offensive that you hint such a thing. I'm sure your marvelous upbringing gives you the moral high ground to dictate which offense/allegation is terrible enough for you to pass judgement on others for still holding said athlete to high regard due to abilities relevant to the game.

You think Hull was a POS in his personal life? So do I. I don't know him and I don't pretend to know everything involved in his life, but I can't condone abuse. Is there a reason why you single out Hull in this thread? Seeing how much you care about these issues due to your superior upbringing shouldn't you be dishing out these threads to all players who have shady past? I know a star from the past who once drunkenly drove his car and had an accident and it was brushed off by Winnipeg LEO's due to his stature. You should read up on it and make a thread for that fella too. Drunk driving is pretty high on everyone's list of terrible things to do. There are countless of examples, from drugs to violence and drunk driving to tax fraud. Don't focus your moral superiority solely on Hull. Dish it out evenly if you really care.

 

[MaxV]

As the old saying goes:

"Never meet your heroes."

All of these guys are just people. They have their own issues.

 

[Morgoth Bauglir]

let he who casts the first stone be blameless.

Fulton Sheen still has the best exposition of that passage

 

[The Panther]

Hull is long before my time, and I know him only from stats, game-clips from the 60s, and interviews circa 1990 or later. Even before I was exposed to those, I had read about his domestic problems, when I was in junior high school, in Gzowski's The Game of Our Lives (1981). It's been common (hockey) knowledge for many years.

The thing is, though, I don't really have a problem with Hull being a hockey ambassador. What I care about in such matters is how the guy presents himself NOW. I firmly believe every human deserves chances of redemption and opportunities for forgiveness. Hull may have been a total ******* to his wife and kids, but if that's all decidely in the past and he presents himself well now, I am fine with him being an "ambassador". The public face of hockey is not the place for a man to be tried and judged -- I'll leave that to the courts and Hull's own family and friends.

In all the latter-day interviews I've seen with Hull, he's been nothing but class. He's even forgiven the Hawks' organization for their poor treatment over the years. He doesn't badmouth anyone and seems very charitable. I like to think he's turned over a new leaf, of sorts.

I have more of an issue with contemporary players/ex-players in trouble with the law being "ambassadors" (e.g., Patrick Kane). But I'm willing to give them another chance in the future.

 

[VanIslander]

In all the latter-day interviews I've seen with Hull, he's been nothing but class. He's even forgiven the Hawks' organization for their poor treatment over the years. He doesn't badmouth anyone and seems very charitable.

And who was it who said we should forgive others? It's stated a few times or more in the Bible. He's pretty respected.

And in America the statute of limitations on assault charges is between 1 and 6 years. How many are still being persecuted for such a crime from 30+ years ago? None.

 

[Kant Think]

Many people are *******s, some *******s are hockey players, others sell vegetables.

He was one hell of a hockey player, and according to some (I don't know the guy personally) one hell of an *******.

 

[Jets4Life]

Slander? Give me a break. He was convicted of striking a police officer. It's linked.

And pappy you yourself brought up what a brilliant ambassador he was for the game. It's absurd to paint him in that light given transgressions off the ice IMO.

Slander is when you have no cooraborating evidence to support a claim or statement.

Edit: I think if anything this goes to show you how little domestic abuse against women was taken seriously in an older time. Pretty sad really.

Not this again. The guy is 78 for Christ sake, and these facts have been known for 20 years. He was no angel, but let's face it, pro athletes usually have a higher rate of depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence than your average occupation.

Did you want to make a list of the transgressions of every single star NHL player out there?

It may take you 6 months but you can start a blog.They are athletes, not priests.

 

[Sentinel]

As the old saying goes:

"Never meet your heroes."

All of these guys are just people. They have their own issues.

Russia's greatest playwright of all time, Evgeny Schwartz said: "You can admire a racehorse from the stands. If you invite it for dinner, you'll be disappointed."

I, for one, don't care what the player does off ice. I don't care what filmmakers do off-camera and what musicians do off-stage. AAMOF I'll go further than most people and be really selfish about it. Did Hull abuse his wife, Polanski have sex with a minor, and Vince Neil drive drunk? Yes. Doesn't mean I'll stop enjoying Hull's hockey, Polanski's movies, and Crue's music. And so will millions of other people.

I make exception for politicians though. Their personal lives have a tendency to affect their public decisions which, in turn, affect my life.

 

[Theokritos]

I get that this topic is sensitive issue for a lot of people. But if we discuss it here, we're going to have to discuss it with our brains and not our emotions.

I'm glad folks think his of ice transgressions set a tremendous example for young people to follow.

No one is claiming that.

Guess I was raised differently and care more about how our sports heroes carry themselves on AND off the playing surface.

I don't really care what good hockey players do away from the rink and I'm also not much inclined to view them as anything more than – good hockey players. In fact, I've got an aversion against the glorification and semi-deification they're often subject to. They're not heroes to me. They're persons who happen to be good at the game we enjoy and who do it for a living. There's nothing more to it. A few years ago a RCMP dog was named after Sidney Crosby when a school submitted the name suggestion "Crosby" in a national contest. The ramblings that went hand in hand with the name choice were sententious:

The qualities of a good student and person Sidney demonstrated as a student at our school, he continues to demonstrate as a professional athlete. Our class feels that a police working dog also should have these qualities: dedication, determination, respect and loyalty.

You can almost smell the incense. Give me a break.

I think if anything this goes to show you how little domestic abuse against women was taken seriously in an older time. Pretty sad really.

Now that is certainly true.

 

[ImporterExporter]

I'll respond more in depth when I can get to a computer at home but the amount of people willing to completely overlook the man, or lack there of, he was during his playing days as well as post career off the ice is telling.

I'm a husband and father. Imagining Hull beating the hell out of multiple women is something that makes my blood boil. It's about as low as a man can get in my book, next to abusing children.

So sue me for thinking he has no business being any sort of ambassador for the sport.

 

[Sensinitis]

I get that this topic is sensitive issue for a lot of people. But if we discuss it here, we're going to have to discuss it with our brains and not our emotions.



No one is claiming that.



I don't really care what good hockey players do away from the rink and I'm also not much inclined to view them as anything more than – good hockey players. In fact, I've got an aversion against the glorification and semi-deification they're often subject to. They're not heroes to me. They're persons who happen to be good at the game we enjoy and who do it for a living. There's nothing more to it. A few years ago a RCMP dog was named after Sidney Crosby when a school submitted the name suggestion "Crosby" in a national contest. The ramblings that went hand in hand with the name choice were sententious:



You can almost smell the incense. Give me a break.



Now that is certainly true.

I second this. Apt description of my personal state of mind.