Dennis Hull, 5-time NHL All-Star, dies at 81
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- Dennis Hull died Friday night at 81, confirmed by brother Garry; nephew Bart Hull announced it on social media Saturday, and the Blackhawks followed with a statement from owner Danny Wirtz.
- Hull played 13 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks before one final year with the Detroit Red Wings, appearing in five All-Star Games and earning second-team All-Star honors in 1972-73.
- Hull helped Canada win the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union after his brother Bobby was excluded for defecting to the WHA, recording two goals and two assists in four games on a line with Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert.
- Hull finished with 303 goals, 351 assists and 654 points in 959 regular-season games, adding 67 points in 104 playoff contests during an era when Chicago came close but never won the Stanley Cup.
- Wirtz called Hull dominant on the ice and beloved off it, praising his scoring, toughness, intelligence, sharp wit and humility, saying he 'kept the locker room loose' while making 'everyone he met feel welcome.'
- Bobby Hull, the Hall of Fame 'Golden Jet,' died in January 2023 at 84, leaving Dennis as the surviving brother from one of hockey's most famous families.
Why it matters: Hull was a 14-year NHL veteran and one of the last major links to both the Blackhawks' 1960s-70s era and Canada's 1972 Summit Series triumph, where he stepped in for his more famous brother Bobby after Bobby's defection to the rival WHA — making his career arc inseparable from two of hockey's most storied institutions.
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