Archive: First THN 'Collectors World' Magazine Put Blues Youngster Hull In Spotlight in 1990

Hockey Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull made a splash everywhere he played. And in this cover story from THN’s very first, special-edition “Collectors World” magazine (Volume 1, Issue 1, cover date November 23. 1990), writer Dave Luecking profiled Hull, his exploding amount of offense, and his impact on the hockey memorabilia market.

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Gretzky was dominant in the 1988 Cup Final, powering the Oilers to a sweep of the Boston Bruins. And there were never enough superlatives to use in describing how much of a needle-mover he really was.

Soon after, Hull blossomed into a star winger for the St. Louis Blues in 1990, and he heard from fans around the world about their appreciation for his talents. And the affable Hull did his utmost to continue contact with fans.

“I answer it all,” Hull said of his fan mail. “Not right away, but I make sure I get to all of it. I just wish people would send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. It gets a little expensive, especially if I have to mail it to Europe.”

Hull won two Stanley Cups in his 19-year NHL career, and he was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame in 2009. If you invested money in his hockey cards way back in his early days, you’re probably very pleased with the value of the cards today. He scored a whopping 82 goals in that 1990-91 season, making one observer probably regret labelling Hull as "questionable" when it came to having what it takes to win.

“He’s going to get 40 goals every year,” an NHL assistant coach told Luecking prior to the start of the ‘90-91 season. “But I don’t know if he’s got it to take the next step. I don’t know if he’s got what it takes to become one of the elite players in the league.”

Turns out, he did.

By Dave Luecking

The scene could have occurred anywhere in North America, youngsters crowding around members of the St. Louis Blues for autographs.

But this wasn’t just anywhere. It was Dusseldorf, West Germany, where the Blues were making new friends on the NHL’s Friendship Tour.

“Kids are the same everywhere,” says St. Louis Blues’ superstar right winger Brett Hull.

They know the value of a puck, particularly one signed by you-know who. With German newspapers hyping the “eishockey-millionare,” and public address announcers introducing him as “der superstar,” Hull was a popular target of German collectors and autograph seekers.

Never mind that they seemed a little confused at times. One group of kids let Hull walk by unnoticed while they cornered Herb Raglan. Another kid asked Kelly Chase to sign Hull’s picture, noticing they had similar haircuts.

They didn’t have the right guy, but they had the right idea. After all, Hull is currently the hottest thing in hockey cards. The reasons for his popularity range from the name he shares with his Hall-of-Fame father to his incredible 1989-90 season.

Consider what Hull did a year ago:

★ Scored 72 goals, a league record for right wingers.

★ Scored 113 points, setting eight team records.

★ Won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and achievement.

★ Named a first-team All-Star.

★ Finished third in balloting for for Hart Trophy, given to the NHL’s most valuable player.

Hull’s stock rose immensely last season, forcing the Blues to pay more than $7 million over four years in a new contract.

The historical significance of the pact was not lost on Mike Shanahan. The Blues’ chairman wouldn’t let Hull out of his house on the day he signed without signing a few more things.

Hockey sticks, pictures and a Blues’ T-shirt bearing the date of the signing. The only problem was that Hull accidentally wrote June 8 on the shirt instead of June 9.

“Makes it more valuable,” says Hull, referring to the premium some people pay for collectibles with errors.

It wouldn’t pay for Hull’s contract, but imagine what collectors would pay for that stuff, or the gifts Shanahan gave Hull on that day—a golf shirt and some champagne glasses.

Hull is keenly aware of the growing value of his memorabilia, but don’t expect him to appear on the Home Shopping Network any time soon. He has no problem with collectors making a buck on his name.

He hasn’t picked up the old trick of some baseball players, who, upon receiving an envelope full of cards, sign only one and keep the rest or sign them all and bend the comers to put them in less than mint condition.

The affable Hull goes to great lengths to accommodate autograph seekers and collectors alike, signing whatever and whenever asked, either in person or in the mail. Hull’s mailman carries a heavier load.

“I answer it all,” says Hull. “Not right away, but I make sure I get to all of it. I just wish people would send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. It gets a little expensive, especially if I have to mail it to Europe.”

Hull views himself as an ambassador for the sport, and he understands the role. Hull used to wait hours after games for his father Bobby to finish signing autographs.

“I liked that,” he says. “We’d get to go out after games and skate on the ice. We wanted him to take as long as possible.”

It was at those times that Brett honed the slap shot he inherited from his famous father, who made it the ultimate weapon in the NHL. Bobby Hull scored more than 50 goals in a season four times, finishing his 16-year NHL career with 610 goals and 1,170 points.

The elder Hull played 23 pro seasons, jumping to the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association in 1972 and giving the fledgling league instant credibility. He had 313 goals and 638 points in the WHA, figures the NHL doesn’t recognize.

If so, Bobby Hull would rank third on the all-time NHL list behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.

Although Brett started his NHL career at 23, five years older than his father, he’s on pace to match his Bobby’s figures. His shot is among the hardest and fastest in the NHL. He complements it with a snap shot that is his best weapon. Hull is the most feared sniper in the league.

“If I needed one goal to tie or win the game, and I could pick anyone I wanted to take the shot, I’d take Brett,” says Blues’ right winger Paul MacLean.

In three years, Hull has scored 146 goals and 262 points. In the process, he has shot down many of the misconceptions about him.

When he was with the Calgary Flames, he was thought to be too lazy and unmotivated to accomplish stardom in the NHL. It’s a perception he’s lived with since his teen years.

At 18, Hull almost quit playing hockey because no junior teams were interested. He walked on at Penticton of the British Columbia Junior League (Tier II) and scored 105 goals, enough to be drafted by Calgary in the sixth round of the 1984 draft.

Hull then went to school at Minnesota-Duluth, scoring 32 goals as a freshman and 52 as a sophomore before Calgary signed him in time for the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs. Hull made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens.

He scored 50 goals the next season in Moncton of the American League before coming to the NHL to stay in the 1987-88 season. He had 26 goals and 24 assists in 52 games, before Calgary traded him, with left winger Steve Bozek, to the Blues for defenseman Rob Ramage and goalie Rick Wamsley on March 7, 1988.

At the time, many thought the Blues got fleeced. But even though Calgary won the Stanley Cup in 1989, the Blues are getting the last laugh. Hull had 32 goals in his rookie season, then jumped to 41 the next season before his record-breaking 72 in ’89-90.

Now, he’s the foundation for what the Blues fancy as a Stanley Cup contender.

“That,” says Hull, “is what we play for.”

Coming off a 41-goal season in 1988-89, Brett Hull was flirting with-star status But no one expected a 72-goal season and a first team All-Star berth on right wing.

In fact, some people thought Hull wouldn’t progress beyond 41 goals.

“He’s going to get 40 goals every year,” said one NHL assistant coach before the start of last season. “But I don’t know if he’s got it to take the next step. I don’t know if he’s got what it takes to become one of the elite players in the league.”

Card collectors who ignored that opinion are reaping the benefits today. A Hull rookie card from the 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee set has risen in price from $5 to $40 in a year.

Hull’s great start to this season ensures his card will continue to be one of the hottest. He became the first player in 1990-91 to reach the 10-goal mark.

Pro Set issued a Brett Hull prototype card which sells for about $25. The card contains three major differences with the card from the regular set: 1) The photo on the back is different; 2) The prototype is card No. 1, the regular card is No. 263; and 3) On the prototype, his 1987-88 statistics for Calgary and St. Louis are combined. The regular card has a separate line for each.

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