EDITOR’S NOTE

Bobby Hull was a heroic figure back when I was a kid. I remember anxiously waiting for autographs one night outside the Olympia after

Chicago visited Detroit. Many of the Hawks signed the front of my game program as they passed by on their way to the team bus. Hull was different though. He actually stopped and spoke to me, asking me if I had fun at the game. He flashed that megawatt smile and said

“See you next time!” before moving on to the next kid, and every other kid waiting outside in the cold. I didn’t know at the time that that’s what he did every night in every town, but that’s the kind of guy he was.

Years later, I’d get to spend time with Hull professionally. I dealt with him on a few occasions for features I was working on and always found him to be both accommodating and a great storyteller. We got along famously, and each time I let feeling like I’d hung out with an old buddy rather than an interview subject. I’m sure I told anyone who asked what a great guy he was.

And then the rug got pulled out from under so many of us who admired him. When Hull passed away on January 30, he let behind countless people who mourned the loss of a family member, friend, or idol. Many others, like myself, were let feeling something entirely different.

It’s been a matter of public record for several years now that he physically and emotionally traumatized at least two women, one of them his ex-wife. He later alienated countless people by sharing some truly indefensible beliefs.

It trivializes his transgressions to view Hull simply as a man who let behind a complicated legacy. But it’s true that a man can mean different things to different people. Ultimately, how you view him is up to you. But just because he was once a hero to you or me doesn’t make him unaccountable for his actions.

‘The NHL has given us scores of legends who truly deserve their reputation as heroes on and off the ice, men like Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Stan Mikita, and Jean Ratelle, or someone like Sidney Crosby today. Hull will always be remembered as one of the greatest ever to play the game, but a hero?

Not to me. Not anymore.

Al Muir - amuir@beckett.com • @almuirsi on Twitter