Hull headed to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
He's a native of Belleville, Ontario, but Stars co-GM Brett Hull will inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame this fall.
Hull, his former team USA teammates and NHL greats Brian Leetch and Mike Richter and Cammi Granato, who will be the first woman to go into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, were announced as the class of 2008 on Tuesday.
"It’s an honor to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. It's a big thrill ," Hull said Tuesday during a conference call set up by USA Hockey. "I appreciated everything USA Hockey ever did because I am not sure I would ever been an NHL player without the opportunity they gave me. I am honored and thrilled to be a part of this class."
Hull's 741 goals rank third all-time in NHL history. He recorded 1,341 points during his career, which saw him play with Calgary, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix. He won Stanley Cups with the Stars and Red Wings. Among the individual trophies were the Hart, Lady Byng and Lester B. Pearson. He was also a nine-time NHL All-Star.
On Tuesday Hull gave credit to USA Hockey for helping put him on the path to success in the NHL. Although Hull was born in Canada, his mother was American and that meant he had dual citizenship. When Canada passed over him for the national team in 1986, the USA gave him a call and a chance.
"USA Hockey showed faith," Hull said. "They gave me an opportunity to play and to find out who Brett Hull was as a player. ... Having them show the faith in me, wanting me to be a part of the program was all I needed. I've never forgot that and I never will."
As Hull's NHL career soared he remained a key player for Team USA over the years, helping the Americans win the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and a silver medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Hull said Tuesday the 1996 World Cup was "one of my greatest moments in the game because I had never been a champion... and never had any team success."
It was during a game in Ottawa that year that fans let Hull have it, taunting him with chants of "traitor" and "Brett Hull sucks." Hull said that was a defining moment for him. He saw that Canadians realized that USA Hockey had arrived.
"You know what the greatest part of that
was? They never once said anything, they never booed, until we became
that team that was able to beat Canada," Hull said. "When they got
scared of us as a group playing against them, that's when they started.
"That was a great feeling because we knew we were a great team and the
guys realized they were booing because they were afraid of us. It really
made me feel good and deep down I think it made the other guys good as
well."
Hull scored seven goals in seven games in the World Cup, including a key game-tying goal in the third and deciding game of the final round showdown with the Canadians. A game the Americans would go onto win 5-2 and take the World Cup.
"After we won I remember standing next to Chris Chelios and I asked him what I should," Hull said. "I had never won before. He said, 'Just go with it.' It was a great feeling and it really brought to light what it was like to win as a team and be part of a championship team, knowing that is a feeling that I wanted to have with my NHL team."
