Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has passed away at the age of 84.
The NHL Alumni Association announced on Monday morning that Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Hull has passed away at the age of 84.
No further details were given about his death.
Hull compiled a litany of accolades during his 23-year professional career, 16 of which were spent in the NHL with the other seven in the WHA.
As a member of the Chicago Black Hawks for 15 seasons, Hull won one Stanley Cup, three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Trophies and one Lady Byng Award, along with being named an NHL all-star 12 times. Hull was also named one of the NHL's 100 greatest players during the league's centennial season, joining his son Brett on the prestigious list.
After his initial run with the Black Hawks, Hull made the groundbreaking decision to leave the NHL and sign with the WHA's Winnipeg Jets in 1972, becoming the first professional hockey player to earn a contract worth $1 million. Hull spent seven seasons in the WHA with the Jets before following them in their induction into the NHL in 1979-80. Hull then suited up for nine games with the Hartford Whalers towards the back end of that season before calling it a career.
Despite his remarkable on-ice accomplishments, Hull's controversies off the ice loom over his legacy.
Hull faced allegations of domestic abuse and was also quoted in a Russian newspaper that he thought Adolf Hitler "had some good ideas" and that the United States' population of Black citizens was growing too quickly in 1998. Hull denied saying those things in a statement published in the Los Angeles Times later on.
After being brought on by the Blackhawks as a team ambassador in 2010, Hull was let go from that position by the organization last season.