I totally remember, and I still liked big Al more

My family moved to St. Louis from Nashville two months before I was born in 1985. Like most people who lived in the South, they were not hockey fans. My dad loved baseball and football and that’s what I grew up loving. My earliest memories are Cardinals baseball and me wanting to be Ozzie Smith. And then Brett Hull started scoring goals.

The 1989-90 season I was four years old. Hull potted 72 goals. The next season he scored 50 goals in 49 games an appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I don’t remember much about this since I was so young but here’s what I remember: That cover hung on my wall. I had a poster on my bed room door celebrating Brett Hull’s 50-in-50.

Hull made the Blues so popular that, without football in town, people like my family get turned on to hockey. I started watching the games, buying hockey cards, playing street hockey. I wouldn’t be a hockey fan today if Hull didn’t play for the Blues.

That said, seeing pictures of him as a Star or Red Wing just piss me off. He shouldn’t have left. Selfishly, I wish he had never won anything in those places. But, it’s part of his legacy. I’m happy he’s going into the Hall of Fame, but it angers me that management let the best player walk away and that he ended up winning anything.

It was “his” team, to be sure, but their Cup win will ALWAYS be associated with Hull. Not all of him, just his left foot…

When Hull’s HOF election was announced, Kelly Chase gave a great interview on the radio. Chase clearly loves the guy, but he conceded about the post-Stevens locker room, something to the effect of: “We didn’t have the right guys to keep [Hull] in line.”

I loved watching Hull, didn’t want to see him run out of town (at least not for free). Lot of great memories. But yeah, it was always bittersweet with him — including some of the sub-par teammates he had to play with. Whenever he says, “I showed those people who said you can’t win a Cup with Brett Hull,” I wanna say back, “No. You confirmed those who said this team wouldn’t win one with Hull as leader.” Too much baggage.

Maybe he had to be humbled by leaving and then going where there were already alpha dogs in the room before he saw the light. Oh well. His 527 goals and however many playoff goals in the Bluenote did not suck. And Blues management — and Adam Oates’ agent, and Keenan, and the P-D media narrative — did their share to screw it up. It was never meant to be. When two basketcases get together, that’s how it ends.

I have the Media Guide from like ‘89, the first full year after he was traded…I have somewhere the McDonald’s Comic books (all 3 i think) werent they like the Brett Hull Adventures? Im only 26 now…but I remember that era fondly, my hockey “formative years.”

Awesome that he’s finally in the hall of fame…just too bad he couldn’t stay here…and win the cup with US…

NOW I WANT A HULL STATUE NEXT TO FEDERKO and MACINNIS OUTSIDE THE DRINKSCOTCH!

He’s the reason I’m a Blues fan to this day. Just wish we could have won a cup with him here…

and while I can’t recall the Hull & Oates years (or even, admittedly, the Shanny years), I still fondly remember Brett Hull. I didn’t really start following the Blues until just after he left, but as a kid around the age of 6 or 7, there are a few names you know are celebraties, even if you don’t know why they’re famous: in the mid-90s, I mean people like Madona, Steven Spielburg, Ken Griffey Jr., names like that. Growing up in St. Louis at the time, Brett Hull was one of those names. Yes, there’s a lot of mixed emotions, but if you were to take a poll of this community(listening Hildy? Tomorrow is Tuesday!), you’d probably find that at least a good third to half of the fans here are Blues fans due in large – maybe even most part to number 16. Before Brett Hull, no one from St. Louis had ever played in the NHL. Today, a generation later, there are at least two St. Louis-born players in the Blues system alone.

It might be a representative of the hard-luck that the Blues have had as a franchise, but the Brett Hull is THE most prominent person in the history of the St. Louis Blues. No contest. Some closer to the team might argue other less obvious choices would be better suited, but the mere fact that they are less obvious means the answer is clear.

Fans may have loved the Plagers and Brian Suter. Bernie Federko may be the one sacared cow in the Blues family. The management may have chosen Al MacInnis over Hullie. And the loss of Chris Pronger may have led (directly or otherwise) to the collapse of the team on and off the ice. But love him or hate him, Brett Hull IS St. Louis Blues hockey.

Until T.J. Oshie puts the Bermuda Cup inside Lord Stanley’s!

im just trying to figure out if they are the new green lantern corps or the wonder twins +3.

wonder twin powers activate

I did not become a true hockey fan until I watched Hull play in St. Louis. J-Mill hits it big time with his comments. I have talked with many people, old and young, about the Blues legacy, and Hull is the one player who is brought up most often. While The Twister will always be my favorite Bad Boy in Blue…I can not deny that it was Hull who drew me into the game that has become my only choice of sport.

I can fully remember the glory that was the Hull era in St. Louis. Yeah, the guy could be a dick, but when you’re THAT good, you can pretty much get away with being a dick (See Also: Roenick, Jeremy).

I really wish he would’ve gotten a few more years with Adam Oates. I can’t imagine how Gretzky would still be holding the career goal-scoring title if THOSE two were paired together long-term. Shanahan and Janney were good, but holy fuck-of-the-century were Hull and Oates just a terrific pair together.

He was my hockey hero through the thick and thin, even if he was an asshole. He was the face of a franchise that needed one after the departure of Bernie Federko.

He was awesome. That’s all I gotta say really.

I have rehearsal tonight, but will they be up later in the week? I have a feeling Hullie’s speech might be a memorable one for obvious reasons!

and Brett Hull made me a hockey fan and player. His number graces my jersey everytime I suit up and it is by far my lucky number. If Hull, Oates and Cujo would not have been run out St. Louis would have a Cup. Even tho I despise Dallas and Detroit I was incredibly happy for Brett when he was able to hoist the Cup. For a team with no Championships, St. Louis has almost as rich a player history as a team like Montreal, Detroit and the Oilers.

Now that I’ve dated myself, Hullie was my type of player, he spoke his mind and you knew where he stood. No BS. A delight to hear before or after a game. Sure he was an azzhole sometimes, who isn’t when they say things not everyone wants to hear.

He lived the dream that many of us had as kids that weren’t the fastest or best skaters. He made the bigs and adapted to stay there.

Right now the Blues don’t have anyone close to the Alpha male that Brett was. We need one to step up if we’re going to win the cup. We need that swagger and voice.

Hullie’s statue needs to go out front, but as RFJCC said, the Plagers need to be out there first.

dont remember him to much.i actually remember steve iyzerman more then brett. he’s not the reason i fell in love with hockey but he’s a reason i stuck with it.paul kariya and vancouvers naslund are the reasons i fell in,love with hockey.they may not be my favorite players now (oshie, crosby, eller,berglund) but i still love them.i wish brett the best and i hope he comes back to st louis as a coach or any other job.he is and always will be the face of the Blues

and remember him well (even have a signed stick of his at home). It’s my first comment here too. You guys do a great job. As big of a Cardinals and Rams fan as I am, growing up I went to more Blues games than both of those other teams (even have faint memories of the Arena…St. Louis Vipers anyone?). And besides Ozzie Smith, he’s probably my favorite St. Louis athlete ever. I still have the cover of Sporting News with Hull and Gretzky on the cover, thinking we were going to win at least three straight cups. Congrats to Brett. Too bad he couldn’t win the big one in the Lou.

You went to see hull and the high flying offense of the time. He may have built the new place, but i always remember him in that old dome with terrible parking and it always being dark and kinda cozy. I find myself lucky to see him play there and to have watched great games there.
I remember going to the old barn and it being so loud you couldn’t here the person next to you. Went to alot of games when younger down there but the 2 i remember most, the one above i dont’ remember the date but it was a shoot out 5-4 or 5-6 against 99 and the kings, i can’t honestly remember having more fun at a game. The other was a red wing game where, for the life of me i can’t remember the fighter at the time for detriot, after a scrum or something all the refs were huddle by the center line and he came up and punched janakoski (sp?) was one of joeseph’s back ups. Needless to say the refs didn’t see it the old arena damn near exploded. I still say the hull &oats teams could beat any of the president cup teams from earlier this decade