There will never be another Bobby Hull in this town. Nobody will ever skate faster, shoot the puck harder and dazzle the imagination the way “Golden Jet” did.
Hull will forever be the Blackhawks’ Michael Jordan, superstars setting impossible standards for those who try to succeed them. Twenty-six years after leaving Chicago, the adoration for Hull still allows him to earn mid-six figure money each year from endorsements and appearances.
But Wednesday, Hull’s legacy was at stake as he found himself in a battle to save his reputation.
In its Tuesday editions, the Moscow Times had quotes attributed to Hull in which he spoke favorably about Adolf Hitler, came out in support of genetic breeding to produce a better human race, and said that the black population in America was growing too fast.
Hull had been in Moscow last week as a special guest of the Spartak Cup, an international hockey tournament.
Hull issued strong denials of the alleged statements Wednesday, while the editor of the Moscow Times, a respected English-language daily, stood by the quotes.
The story was mostly about hockey and did not give elaborate quotes about Hull’s alleged views on society. The only quote of substance was on Hitler.
Hull was quoted as saying, “Hitler, for example, had some good ideas. He just went a little too far.”
Hull, 59, said in a statement that his alleged comments were “false and defamatory.”
“To my mind, Adolf Hitler was the most evil and despicable person who ever lived and there is nothing good or positive that can ever be said about such a man.”
Hull went on to say, “I deeply regret that some reckless and irresponsible reporter has chosen to spread falsehoods about me and otherwise skew the truth and distort the facts.”
Geoff Winestock, editor of the Moscow Times, supported the writer, Gennady Fyodorov. Winestock said the interview took place in front of another reporter from the Russian news service Itar-Tass, along with a couple of Hull’s friends. An interpreter also was present, but Winestock noted that Fyodorov has lived in the United States and speaks English fluently.
“We were certainly very concerned about (the story),” Winestock said. “We quizzed him very intensively about the story. We certainly made sure that we had a story, and we stand by it.”
Winestock said the interview was not taped, but that the paper had Fyodorov’s notes. The reporter is not a full staff member but has been a regular contributor to the paper for four years.
According to his attorney, Timothy B. Danson, Hull can’t figure out how those quotes got attributed to him. Efforts to reach Hull Wednesday were unsuccessful, although he did talk to local reporters in Sudbury, Ontario, where he was making appearances for amateur hockey.
“Bobby is floored by this,” Danson said. “He’s stunned, upset and hurt.”
Hull, who scored 610 goals in 16 years with the Hawks, told Danson he never had a formal interview with the reporter in question. Hull said he was “shooting the breeze” with a group of people that included a couple of reporters.
According to Danson, Hull recalled that the conversation ranged from a discussion of world leaders, including Hitler, to cattle breeding. Hull is a big cattle breeder in Canada.
“Bobby said it wasn’t like they were having a major sophisticated political conversation,” Danson said. “They were bouncing from topic to topic. Bobby said he favored genetic breeding in cattle. Maybe this guy made a mistake and thought Bobby was talking about Hitler when genetic breeding (for cattle) came up.
“Bobby can’t believe anyone would misunderstand this. How do you get Hitler and genetics when you’re talking about genetics and cattle?”
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Danson, who is Jewish, said he found it hard to believe that Hull would make anti-semitic statements. Danson also pointed out that Hull’s agent and close friend, Ron Arena, is an orthodox Jew.
“Somebody can be a closet racist if you don’t know the person,” Danson said. “But if you know somebody for a long time, I don’t believe it is possible to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. If he were an anti-semite, I wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”
Danson said that Hull does have a reputation for making wild statements just to see how people respond. At one point, Danson speculated that Hull may have said something in jest and that it was misunderstood.
“It always is clear to everyone that he is joking,” Danson said.
Bob Williams, president of Burns Celebrity Sports Service, whose company has lined up numerous appearances for Hull, says he can get “outrageous” at times.
“He’s just trying to elicit a reaction,” Williams said. “He loves to tell jokes. He loves a great story.”
Danson also took issue with another quote in the story in which, asked if it would be fair to label him a racist, Hull allegedly said:
“I don’t give a damn. I’m not running for any political office.”
“That would be a ridiculous thing for him to say,” Danson said. “He knows his profile is how he makes his living. To make comments like that would be suicide, absolute suicide.”
According to sources, Hull earns between $5,000 and $7,500 per appearance, such as giving speeches and showing up at golf tournaments. Hull also continues to do commercials for products, especially in Canada where he still is one of that country’s biggest icons, earning in excess of $500,000 a year.
Hull recently appeared at a golf outing in the Chicago area for Burns Celebrity Sports Service. Williams now is worried about the possible fallout.
“The financial impact to him could be astronomical,” Williams said. “Even if he disproves the story, he’s still going to be tainted by it. It’s hard for me to believe he said something like this. But (given the climate) somebody else has to come to his aid and help him out for this to go away.”
When Hull’s alleged comments were aired Wednesday, Harper Loeb, regional counsel for the Anti-Defamation League in Chicago, was set to call the Blackhawks to address the issue. Loeb then heard Hull’s strong denial.
“We have to take him at his word,” Loeb said. “Until we get information that tips the scale the other way, we have nothing to say.”
Hull’s image has remained favorable despite a December 1987 brush with the law. At the time, Hull faced charges of battery and assault in Willowbrook when his wife, Deborah, signed a complaint against him. According to officers, Hull’s wife had a cut on her face and she claimed he hit her.
Deborah later decided not to press charges, but Hull pleaded guilty to assault for taking a swing at one of the arresting officers. He was fined $150 and placed on six months court supervision.
Danson said Hull might conduct a formal news conference next week in Toronto.
“I know people are fidgety about this,” Danson said. “Hopefully, when everything is out, people will believe him.”