Former Detroit Red Wings forward Dennis Hull, a five-time NHL All-star and younger brother of superstar Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks, died Friday night at age 81.
Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz announced Hull’s death in a team statement. No other details were available.
“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 wrote.
“Known around the league for his immense skill, toughness and intelligence, Dennis was as dominant on the ice as he was beloved off it. He often drew on his sharp wit and sense of humor to keep the locker room loose, while his warmth and humility made everyone he met feel welcome.
Dennis Hull played 13 of his 14 NHL seasons in Chicago with 303 goals and 351 assists for 654 points in 959 regular-season games.
He had another 67 points in 104 games in the playoffs.
In his final season with the Red Wings in 1977-78, Hull, a native of Pointe Anne, Ontario, helped end the franchise’s eight-year playoff drought, the longest skid since the current 10-year playoff drought.
Hull played in 55 games for Detroit coach Bobby Kromm and had five goals and nine assists for 14 points.
The Wings went from an NHL-worst 16 victories in 1976-77 to twice as many wins (32).
In the first round of the playoffs, Detroit lost, 4-1, to Scotty Bowman’s Montreal Canadiens.
Hull was also a member of the 1972 Canadian team, which rallied with three straight victories to beat the Soviet Union in the Summit Series.
Bobby Hull, the Hall of Famer known as the “Golden Jet,” died at 84 in 2023.
USA Today contributed.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ex-Wing Dennis Hull, five-time NHL All-Star, dies at 81
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
