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Blackhawks Legend Bobby Hull Diagnosed With CTE

Chicago Blackhawks icon Bobby Hull has become the latest former NHLer to be diagnosed with CTE.

Nick Horwat

1970; Detroit, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bobby Hull (9) in action against the Detroit Red Wings during the 1970 season. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK
1970; Detroit, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bobby Hull (9) in action against the Detroit Red Wings during the 1970 season. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK / Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images
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Bobby Hull was one of the greatest players to ever lace a pair of skates in the NHL, playing 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks from 1957 to 1972. Hull passed away at the age of 84 in late January of 2023, and was recently posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) announced the diagnosis, making Hull arguably the most notable NHL player to be affected by the disease.

Split between the NHL and WHA, Hull played in 1,653 professional hockey games counting regular and postseason.

 According to Hull’s widow, Deborah, Hull wanted his brain to be donated and studied following his death. The CTE diagnosis of close friend and long-time teammate Stan Mikita is what pushed him to make that decision.

“Seeing the pain and heartache suffered by his lifetime friend Stan Mikita’s family, Bobby felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE,” Deborah Hull told the CLF. “He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease.”

About a year after his death in 2019, Mikita became the first Hockey Hall of Famer to be diagnosed with CTE.

According to Hull’s wife, he struggled with many CTE symptoms for the last 10 years of his life, including impaired judgement and short-term memory loss.

Hull spent most of his professional hockey career with the Blackhawks, but also spent time in the WHA with the Winnipeg Jets. Between the NHL and WHA, Hull played in 1,474 regular season games, and 179 postseason games.

Over the course of his NHL career, Hull scored 610 goals and 560 assists for 1,170 total points. He’s one of just 21 players to ever exceed 600 goals. His son, Brett, is one of just eight to surpass 700 (741).

Hull won the Stanley Cup in 1961 and was named the Hart Trophy winner as the league’s Most Valuable Player twice. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and named one of the NHL’s 100 all-time best players in 2017.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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