The Devil And Bobby Hull

As the epic battles between Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe reached their zenith in the 1950s, another superstar arrived in the same stratosphere. Bobby Hull - hockey's Golden Jet - was every bit as good as his counterpart #9s. In fact, he was kind of a hybrid of the two. He had Howe's size and strength, and Richard's flare for the dramatic.

He may have been the greatest player of his era, the 1960s, carrying the torch from Howe and Richard until Bobby Orr came along. Hull was pro sports first million dollar man, and he had the million dollar smile to go with it. Not unlike Wayne Gretzky after him, his personality was contagiously appealing, almost as important as his athletic prowess. He transcended the game to almost Hollywood proportions

But, for a variety of reasons, Hull's lasting legacy does not measure up with the likes of Howe or Richard or Orr or Jean Beliveau. Instead he is painted as a more dastardly character. His key role in jumping to the WHA ruffled many feathers, leaving him estranged for decades with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team he is most associated with and won the Stanley Cup with. The Wirtz family, owners of the team, held a deep grudge and did what ever they could to keep Bobby out. Of course the narcissistic Bobby also has himself to blame in his tainted legacy, thanks to a very messy and very public divorce (Tiger Woods could relate) that swirled with domestic violence.

Gare Joyce offers a look at one of hockey's greatest players in The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend. As Joyce says, "the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did."

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca- Chapters - Amazon.com

Bobby Hull ranks as one of hockey's most important figures ever. On the ice he had few equals, and remains one of the top ten players of all time. His records and brilliance are truly rarefied. His off ice contributions are every bit as important. By taking his stand against the NHL and jumping to the WHA, Hull became a millionaire, but a huge cost. He also made a lot of other hockey players rich, as his stand directly led to the spike in player salaries. Every player from the 1970s forward owes Bobby Hull a debt of gratitude.

Author Gare Joyce does a good job in building up the case for Hull as arguably hockey's greatest figure. But the he goes on to cover Hull's demise, but does not do it in a tabloidish manner which is much appreciated. With the estrangement from the Hawks and the bitter and public divorce, Hull never really recovered his golden boy image. That hurt Hull in many ways.  In the aftermath of all this the author goes on to paint Hull as a tragic character, a shadow of the legend he once was.

This is a book that very much should be considered for your reading list. It is a well rounded unauthorized biography (though Hull is prominently interviewed) of one hockey's greatest yet most tragic figures.

Summer Reading: The Golden Jet

Another campfire read for me this summer was one of my favorite books from 2010: the unique The Golden Jet: A Spectacular Career in Stunning Photographs:

You already know Bobby Hull had a spectacular career. Let me assure you the photographs in this books truly are stunning.

Consider this book is a coffee table autobiography. Countless photographs accompanied with Bobby's own captions brilliantly bring back to life the amazing career of one of hockey's true greats. The photos steal the show, but Bobby's commentary are the true jewels of this treasure chest.

The book is also accompanied with a tribute DVD featuring exclusive interviews, archival footage and behind the scenes clips.

This book is listed at $29.95 US/$34.95 CDN. (Apparently no one has told Triumph Books that the Canadian dollar is at/over par for a few years now.) For a book of this size loaded with so many rare and exclusive photos, that is a really reasonable price. And of course, many bookstores and online sources are selling it 30% less than the jacket price.

I wish other hockey greats would consider such a project as this. I hope Triumph Books is looking to create a NHL series of books along these lines, as I am a big fan of their approach.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

By The Way: Of course, more recent fans know Bobby Hull strictly as Brett Hull's dad. This is a great chance to learn more about one of hockey's true legends. Oh, and Brett makes more than a few appearances in the book - from a tot to a pee-wee to a NHL star in his own right.

Best of 2010: Hockey Coffee Table Books

Today HockeyBookReviews.com is going to name the top hockey coffee table book of 2010.

First, let's take a look at the candidates:

• Canucks At 40 by Greg Douglas and Grant Kerr. 
• The Golden Jet by Bobby Hull with Bob Verdi 
• He Shoots . . . He Skewers by Roger Duncan 
• The Hockey Book by Sports Illustrated
• Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Goalies by HHOF

The 2010 HockeyBookReviews.com Coffee Table Book of the Year goes to: The Golden Jet by Bobby Hull with Bob Verdi

Trust me when I say this was no easy decision. Sports Illustrated is legendary for their book series, and they did not disappoint with their long await hockey title. Not picking them was hard. Similar comments go for the latest Hockey Hall of Fame tribute to goalies.The Canucks title is a real strong seller, while He Shoots ... He Skewers, admittedly not a coffee table book by the classic definition, is just a real fun book to flip through.

But there is something about The Golden Jet that I just love. It is an autobiographical coffee table book, loaded with amazing photo. Bobby Hull provides the captions in what I think is a wonderful option for those who do not want to write a true autobiography.

I love the idea behind this Triumph Books project so much that I sincerely hope the publisher will do all it can to use this format to create a series of coffee table autobiographies of the same high quality. Give us all the hockey greats - Gordie, Bobby, Wayne, Mario. Heck, expand it to other sports even.

Triumph Books definitely has a winner with this coffee table autobiography format - winner of the 2010 HockeyBookReviews.com Coffee Table Book of the Year

The Golden Jet by Bobby Hull with Bob Verdi

The book's title is The Golden Jet: A Spectacular Career in Stunning Photographs. You already know Bobby Hull had a spectacular career. Let me assure you the photographs in this books truly are stunning.

Consider this book is a coffee table autobiography. Countless photographs accompanied with Bobby's own captions brilliantly bring back to life the amazing career of one of hockey's true greats. The photos steal the show, but Bobby's commentary are the true jewels of this treasure chest.


The book is also accompanied with a tribute DVD featuring exclusive interviews, archival footage and behind the scenes clips.

This book is listed at $29.95 US/$34.95 CDN. (Apparently no one has told Triumph Books that the Canadian dollar is near par for a few years now.) For a book of this size loaded with so many rare and exclusive photos, that is a really reasonable price. And of course, many bookstores and online sources are selling it 30% less than the jacket price.

I wish other hockey greats would consider such a project as this. I hope Triumph Books is looking to create a NHL series of books along these lines, as I am a big fan of their approach.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

By The Way: Of course, more recent fans know Bobby Hull strictly as Brett Hull's dad. This is a great chance to learn more about one of hockey's true legends. Oh, and Brett makes more than a few appearances in the book - from a tot to a pee-wee to a NHL star in his own right.

Here's more from the publisher, Triumph Books:

The name Bobby Hull is synonymous with greatness when it comes to hockey in Chicago and throughout the NHL.  One of the most charismatic and electrifying athletes of his or any era, Hull thrilled fans with his unique combination of speed, skill, and grace.  Along the way, he became known as the finest left wing in hockey history and is still widely regarded to be the best ever.

Hull now has his electrifying career highlighted in the new book The Golden Jet: A Spectacular Career in Stunning Photographs, where he traces his life and career from his days as a youngster learning to skate on the Bay of Quinte to his current role as a Blackhawks ambassador.  Throughout the book, beautiful photos reflect on Hull's greatest moments, including:

• Amassing a team-record 604 career goals
• Collecting three Art Ross trophies as the league's leading scorer
• Earning hockey's ultimate prize in 1961: Lord Stanley's Cup and a championship ring
• Behind the scenes in one of the most prominent hockey families in the sport
• Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983

Featuring hundreds of rare, full-color photos from his personal archive and accompanying text from legendary Chicago sports columnist and Blackhawks team historian Bob Verdi, The Golden Jet gives Hull's millions of fans a never-before-seen glimpse into the life of this hockey icon. Bringing the pictures to life is an exclusive commemorative DVD, which includes highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes clips from the Blackhawks' video library.

A must-have keepsake for Blackhawks fans of all ages, The Golden Jet is a rare opportunity to celebrate the life of the greatest hockey player in Chicago's history.

About the Authors:
Bobby Hull is generally regarded as the greatest left wing in the history of hockey. During his illustrious 15-year Chicago Blackhawks career, he scored 604 goals-the most in team history-and led the 1960-61 squad to the Stanley Cup. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Bob Verdi is the Chicago Blackhawks' team historian and has covered sports for five decades, including more than 40 years as a columnist and contributor for the Chicago Tribune. He authored Chicago Blackhawks: Seventy-Five Years in 2001.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Booking The Golden Jet

Ouch! That must hurt.

That's Bobby Hull, upended and doing a face plant into the ice.

The image is on the cover of an obscure book, which honestly I know little about. Perhaps one of our readers can share more information on that.

The Golden Jet was arguably hockey's most dynamic player ever, making him a natural cover boy. Here's a few more books featuring today's Greatest Hockey Legend, Bobby Hull: