BRETT HULL
LIKE PLANTE, HULL pulls off the rare rookie playoff triple-header. And for an added degree of difficulty, he did it with multiple teams. Even more amazingly, neither was Montreal.
In 1986, Hull was a 21-year-old prospect with Calgary. Even “prospect” might be pushing it, as he was considered lazy and out of shape and was best known for being the son of ‘The Golden Jet.’ He’d been playing college hockey and for the U.S. national team and had never suited up for a regular season game. But he made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup final, going pointless in two games against (who else) the Canadiens.
The next year, Hull was sent to the AHL to work on his game, and he played just five NHL contests. But he was back for the playoffs, playing four games and scoring twice.
That apparently wasn’t enough for the Flames, who shipped him to St. Louis in 1988 as part of an infamous trade deadline deal for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. That move is often mentioned as one of the most lopsided in NHL history, although the Flames probably didn’t mind much when they won the Stanley Cup in 1989. But for Hull, the trade spelled a fresh start, and he responded with seven goals in his third rookie playoff year, this time with the Blues.
Those nine goals over three years weren’t bad for a rookie and there was plenty more to come. Hull finished with 103 playoff goals, good for fourth all-time. Oh, and two Cup rings. Not bad for lazy and out of shape.