Dennis Hull, the two-way forward who starred for the Chicago Blackhawks with his brother Bobby and helped Canada win the 1972 Summit Series, died Saturday at 81. He played 13 of 14 NHL seasons with Chicago, appeared in five All-Star Games, and finished a caree
When Dennis Hull walked onto the ice, he carried more than goals and assists with him. In Chicago, and in a defining week for Canadian hockey history, he carried a kind of steadiness—sharp, tough, and smart—that made the game feel built around him.
Hull died Saturday at 81, according to confirmation of his death posted by his nephew, Bart Hull, on social media. The Chicago Blackhawks also announced Hull’s death with a statement from team owner Rocky Wirtz. No other details were immediately available.
Hull played 13 of 14 seasons in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks before spending one final year with the Detroit Red Wings. He made five All-Star Games and was voted a second-team NHL All-Star in 1972-73. recognition that came in the same era when Chicago was chasing a Stanley Cup that never arrived.
His legacy stretches beyond the franchise, though. Hull helped Canada win the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. The story carried a family complication: brother Bobby Hull was excluded from playing for Canada because he was in the World Hockey Association. Dennis went anyway. and in four games he posted two goals and two assists while playing on a line with New York Rangers stars Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert.
Career numbers only hint at what those seasons looked like from inside the league. Hull finished with 303 goals and 351 assists for 654 points in 959 regular-season NHL games. In the playoffs. he added 67 points in 104 games during a stretch when the Blackhawks often came close. yet did not win the Stanley Cup.
Wirtz, in his statement, remembered Hull as more than a scorer. “Dennis enjoyed a distinguished career built on his scoring ability and consistency. leaving lasting contributions not only to the Blackhawks franchise but to the game itself. ” Wirtz said. He described Hull as “known around the league for his immense skill. toughness and intelligence. ” and said Dennis was “as dominant on the ice as he was beloved off it.” Wirtz added that Hull “often drew on his sharp wit and sense of humor to keep the locker room loose. ” and that his “warmth and humility made everyone he met feel welcome.”.
For the hockey world. the loss lands on a familiar kind of grief—knowing the game won’t sound the same when that kind of two-way presence is gone. For Chicago fans. it is also the final chapter of a career spent almost entirely with the Blackhawks. from the early promise of a young forward to the steady leadership of a veteran who could win games and make people around him feel at home.
Dennis Hull Chicago Blackhawks Bobby Hull Summit Series 1972 Detroit Red Wings NHL
81 is way too young in hockey years. RIP Dennis Hull.
I swear I read somewhere Bobby was banned from Canada for like… politics or something and Dennis just took over? Anyway sad. Blackhawks legends always hurt.
Wait, so Dennis played for the Blackhawks basically the whole time and still never got a Stanley Cup? That seems crazy like how did they not get one with that many All-Star games. Also “Summit Series” sounds like a summit meeting not hockey lol.
Bart Hull confirmed it on social media right? That’s what I saw on my feed too. The whole thing about Bobby not being allowed because of the WHA sounds like NHL drama but I’m confused who controlled it. Dennis was “two-way” but I’m guessing he basically just worked harder than everyone. Either way, condolences to the family and I hope Chicago honors him for real.