Robert Marvin Hull OC was a Canadian ice hockey player born on January 3, 1939, and died on January 30, 2023. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high velocity all earned him the name “The Golden Jet”. His abilities were such that an opposing player was frequently assigned solely to shadow him.

Hull and teammate Stan Mikita were catalysts for a 1960s craze where players curved the blades of their hockey sticks, which became widely referred to as “banana blades”. Hull is the player most commonly associated with the rule that prohibited this practice due to the potential danger to goalies, few of whom wore masks at the time. Because of the curved blade, the puck’s trajectory was unpredictable.

The rule initially restricted blade curvature to one-half to three-quarters of an inch; in 1970, it was reduced to one-half inch. Curvature is currently limited to three-quarters of an inch under NHL Rule 10.1.

Bobby Hull siblings: Meet Dennis Hull

Dennis William Hull is a former professional ice hockey left winger from Canada who spent the majority of his career with the National Hockey League’s Chicago Black Hawks. He is Bobby Hull’s brother and the uncle of Brett and Bart Hull.