Brett Hull, the most potent goal scorer in University of Minnesota Duluth history and one of just two Bulldog male athletes to ever have his jersey retired, headlines a group of four individuals who will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame this October.
The Class of 2008, which was announced today by USA Hockey, also includes Cammi Granato, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter.
The quartet will be formally enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Denver at an induction dinner set for 7 p.m. MT on Friday, October 10, at Magness Arena on the campus of the University of Denver.
Hull, a 1997 UMD Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, skated for a pair of memorable seasons with the Bulldogs and wound up posting the best career goals per game average (0.93) in team history. In 1984-85, he was chosen the WCHA's Freshman of the Year after leading all league newcomers in points while setting a Bulldog single-season mark for goals by a rookie with 32. The following winter, Hull collected 52 goals -- a figure no Bulldog has come close to equalling since (Derek Plante, with 36 in 1992-93, is his nearest rival) -- in just 42 games en route to landing All-WCHA first team honors and becoming a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. In addition, he established Bulldog records for hat tricks (7), multiple-goal games (13) and power play scores (20) in one season. Hull passed up his final two years of collegiate eligibility to join the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, but not after rakcing up 84 goals and 60 assists for 144 points in just 90 lifetime outings with the Bulldogs.
Hull, whose No. 29 jersey was officially retired by UMD on Feb. 3, 2006, signed on with Calgary for the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs and went on to play 20 years in the NHL before retiring five games into the 2005-06 season as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes. A nine-time NHL All-Star and the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player in 1991-92, he finished his playing career with 741 goals and 650 assists in 1,269 regular season games. Those 741 goals placed him behind only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe on the NHL's all-time list. Besides winning two Stanley Cups in 1999 with the Dallas Stars and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings, Hull skated for the U.S. Team that captured the 1996 World Cup of hockey title, and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. His international playing resume also includes stints with the U.S at the 1998 Olympics, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships.
In 1997, Hull was selected to the 26-member American Hockey Coaches Association All-Time West Team in celebration of the 100th anniversary of college hockey. Four years later, he was included on the WCHA's “Top 50 Players in 50 Years” team as well.
Hull becomes the fourth alumnus of the UMD program to make it the the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, joining center Keith "Huffer" Christiansen (Class of 2005), defenseman Dave Langevin (1993) and head coach John "Connie" Pleban (1990). Two other former Bulldogs -- Mark Pavelich and John Harrington -- were inducted with the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team five years ago.
