Hull, Mikita Rejoin Blackhawks Family

From ChicagoBlackhawks.com: (link)

Former Chicago Blackhawks players and Hockey Hall of Fame members Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita have rejoined the Chicago Blackhawks family and have been named as official Blackhawks ambassadors. Hull and Mikita will represent the Blackhawks at events at the United Center and throughout the Chicagoland area.

“I am overwhelmed to be a part of the Chicago Blackhawks family again,” said Hull. “I’ve been away from Chicago for some 35 years but Chicago was never out of my heart. The Chicago Blackhawks logo has always meant a lot to me as I know it does to the Chicago fans. I want to be a part of welcoming and encouraging fans to come out and watch this exciting young team. It is truly time for me to come back to Chicago and I am happy to be back.”

“It’s been a long wait to be asked back and I am thrilled to accept coming back to the Chicago Blackhawks family,” Stan Mikita said. “I have been out of hockey for almost 30 years and I still run into fans who remember me. I was 18 years old when I turned pro and I see the same drive and determination when I look at this young Chicago Blackhawks team. I know these young Blackhawks are as excited as I am to be a part of this great organization. I know they want to thrill and excite the fans and bring the Stanley Cup back to Chicago.”

“The Blackhawks are thrilled to welcome back two of the greatest players to ever wear the Indian Head sweater in Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita,” said Team President John McDonough. Hull and Mikita were the face of the Chicago Blackhawks throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. It’s an honor to welcome them back into the Blackhawks family. As we move forward in building an outstanding organization, we feel it is important that the “Golden Era” of Blackhawks hockey is represented in our efforts.”

Mikita holds the Blackhawks all-time records for most games (1,394), most seasons played (22), most career points (1,467) and most career assists (926).
Mikita won the Art Ross Trophy by leading the league in scoring four times and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player twice. Mikita was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and was the first Blackhawks player ever to have his number retired.

Mikita’s regular season excellence is equaled by his production in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mikita is the Blackhawks all-time leader in games played in the post-season with 155. In those 155 games, Mikita scored 59 goals and 91 assists for a total of 150 points. His total of 91 assists and 150 points are both Blackhawks playoff records. In the spring of 1961 after completing just his third NHL season, Mikita led the Blackhawks in scoring with six goals and five assists in 12 games as the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

Only one player in NHL history has won the Art Ross, Hart and Lady Byng (for sportsmanship) Trophies in the same season and Mikita did it twice in consecutive years. Mikita won all three awards in both the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons.

Mikita had an impact on pro hockey in two ways that brought major changes to the NHL. He was the first Czechoslovakian born player to appear in the NHL and was the all-time leader in points among European-born players until he was passed by Jaromir Jagr during the 2006-07 season. Mikita was also among the pioneers in the development and use of the curved hockey stick.

For ten straight seasons between 1961-62 and 1970-71, Mikita and Hull were the top two scorers on the Blackhawks points list.

Hull is the Blackhawks all-time goal scoring leader with 604 during his 15 seasons with the Blackhawks. Hull was the first player in NHL history to score more than 50 goals in a season when he had 52 goals in the 1966-67 season. Hull scored 50 or more goals five times during his NHL career. Hull’s 58 goals during the 1968-69 season is a Blackhawks record. Hull won the Art Ross trophy three times and the Hart Trophy twice during his career. Hull was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and had his number retired by the Blackhawks that same year.

Hull was not only among the NHL’s most prolific scorers, but also one of the most consistent as well. He posted 13 consecutive seasons of 30 goals or more, including a four-season stretch between 1965-66 and 1968-69 in which he scored 208 goals. Included in that four year goal scoring blitz were consecutive seasons of 50 goals or more; 54 goals in 1965-66 and 52 goals in 1966-67.

During his 13 seasons with the Blackhawks, Hull was a fixture on the NHL All-Star team. He was a First Team selection ten times and a Second Team selection twice. Hull was also awarded the Lady Byng Trophy following the 1964-65 season.

Nicknamed “The Golden Jet”, Hull’s strength and speed changed the model for forwards in the NHL. Hull was a true “power forward” long before the term ever came into existence. Hull also was one of the first forwards to effectively use the slap shot, which hastened the adoption of facemasks by NHL goaltenders and eventually led to the improvement of goaltending equipment to what we see in the NHL today.

Hull and his son Brett are the only father-son combination to win the Hart Trophy. The two Hulls combined for 1351 goals and if you add in the goals by Bobby’s brother Dennis, the three Hulls total of 1649 goals makes them far and away the first family of goal scoring in NHL history.