- Bobby Hull was a famous ice hockey player.
- He played 15 seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks.
- He was married three times and had 7 children.
- Bobby died on January 30, 2023 at 84 years old.
Bobby Hull, regarded as one of the greatest Canadian ice hockey players of all time, died on January 30, 2023. Bobby was 84 years old when he passed. The NHL Alumni confirmed Bobby’s passing on Twitter and mentioned his incredible accomplishments in the sport. Bobby ranks as the all-time leading goal scorer on the Chicago Black Hawks, with 604 goals during his 15 seasons on the team, according to NBC Sports. Bobby retired from the NHL in 1980 after 23 years.
Bobby was an iconic and beloved figure in ice hockey. But he also had a few controversies during his lifetime. Here’s everything you need to know about Bobby Hull following his death.
He was a legend in the NHL.
Bobby began his NHL career in 1957 and played 15 out of 16 seasons with the Chicago Black Haws. He led the team to their third Stanley Cup win in 1961. Bobby earned the nickname “The Golden Jet” because of his impressive performance on the ice skating rink. After leaving the Black Haws, he went on to play for the Winnipeg Jets and the Hartford Whalers. Bobby ended his NHL career with 610 goals, 560 assists, and 1,170 points out of 1,063 games, per NBC Sports. He officially retired in 1980 to care for his girlfriend Claudia Allen, who was injured in a car accident. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
His brother was a hockey player.
Bobby’s younger brother Dennis Hull, 78, was a NHL star as well. Dennis was nicknamed “The Silver Jet” and played with Bobby on the Black Hawks for eight seasons. Dennis played a total of 14 seasons in the NHL with the Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings. He retired in 1978, two years before his older brother did.
He allegedly made pro-Nazi comments.
Bobby was involved in some controversy in the late 1990s. He was reportedly quoted by The Moscow Times making positive comments about Hitler and the Nazis, per NBC Sports. Bobby reportedly denied making these comments and said he was “deeply offended” by the “false statements.”
Bobby was married three times.
Bobby’s first marriage was to Joanne McKay. He married another woman and then a woman named Deborah in his second and third marriages. Both Joanne and Deborah reportedly accused Bobby of domestic violence after their respective marriages. Bobby didn’t confess to those accusations, though he did plead guilty to hitting one of the arresting officers, which resulted in a $150 fine and six months court supervision, according to ESPN.
He had 7 children.
Bobby had a total of seven children, five from his marriage to Joanne. His son Brett Hull played in the NHL. His other sons Bart, Bobby Jr., and Blake all also played hockey. Bobby’s fifth child with Joanne is daughter Michelle, who became a figure skater. He had another daughter, Jessica, with his girlfriend Claudia Allen. His seventh child was a daughter named Beth Carriero Anderson, whose mother was a woman from Ontario, Canada, per online reports.