Brett Hull Signs With Dallas
Free agent Brett Hull apparently opted for the opportunity to win rather than follow in his legendary father's footsteps when the high-scoring right wing signed a three-year, $17-million contract with the Dallas Stars.
The deal, announced
St. Louis, where he was the team's most visible and popular player but was booed in his last home game."When you first break into the league, you want to establish yourself as a player, financially, building a home, a foundation and a future," Hull said. "Then the main thing is to be a champion. I've always wanted to do that. I wanted to do that in St. Louis, but I'm not in St. Louis anymore. When Dallas called, I thought they were as close to anybody to winning the Stanley Cup. It's a great honor they want me to be a part of that."
"You don't make a decision like this alone. In talkig with my wife, she wants me to win. She's tired of me being angry all the time."
Hull is a three-time 70-goal scorer and the all-time leading scorer in St. Louis Blues history. But Tuesday, Blues general manager Larry Pleau said the team would not re-sign Hull, among the NHL's more glamorous free agents.
That cleared the way for Hull to potentially join the Chicago Blackhawks, where his father, Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, played for many years. The elder Hull had said he would allow his son to wear his retired uniform No. 9 if he had signed with the Blackhawks.
But the Blackhawks missed the Stanley Cup playoffs last season for the first time since 1969, while the Stars had the league's best record during the regular season and advanced to the Western Conference finals, losing to the eventual champion Detroit Red Wings in six games.
"Just because the media speculated on such things," Hull said. "My standpoint was that I would listen to all the franchises that were interested. There was no front-runner whatsoever."
"A few weeks ago, we decided Brett would be our No. 1 priority free agent," Stars owner Tom Hicks said. "We thought he'd be interested in coming here because we think we have a chance to win the Stanley Cup."
Hull's signing comes one day after the Stars re-signed center Guy Carbonneau and defenseman Craig Ludwig, both of whom were unrestricted free agents. The Blues, who already had re-signed defenseman Al MacInnis, also re-signed left wing Geoff Courtnall to a three-year deal.
One option the Stars may explore is playing Hull on a line with All-Star center Mike Modano, who is among the top playmakers in the NHL.
"That's not up to me. It's up to the coaching staff," Hull said. "I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn't want to play with Mike. ... Aside from his obvious skills, he's a tremendous guy and he wants to win. The way he shoots, the way he scores -- you never have to worry about playing with a guy like that."
"He provides added depth," Stars general manager Bob Gainey said. "His abilities, skills, experiences and passion to play on a successful team will help us."
One of the league's best snipers, the 33-year-old Hull had been with the Blues since 1988 and led the team in scoring for the fourth straight season with 72 points, including a career-low 27 goals, in 66 games.
Hull expressed a desire to stay with the Blues, who acquired him from the Calgary Flames in March 1988. But he demanded a no-trade clause and could not agree on a new contract after seeking a deal worth between $5 million and $6 million a year.
"I spent part of 11 years there," Hull said. "I had a great rapport with the fans. But over the years, thre have been so many organizational changes. I never really formed an attachment to the new regime."
Pleau said Tuesday that everyone -- including Hull -- believed a change would be good for the Blues, who lost to Detroit in six games in the conference semifinals. Hull was booed at the Kiel Center in St. Louis after managing only one goal in the series.
A six-time all-star, Hull has 554 goals and 433 assists in 801 career games. He has 69 goals and 51 assists in 108 postseason games.
Hull scored a remarkable 228 goals in a three-year stretch from 1989-92, tallying at least 70 each season. In the 1990-91 season, he scored 86 goals -- the third-highest total in NHL history -- and won the Hart Trophy as most valuable player.
Hull followed that stretch with consecutive 50-goal seasons and has scored 40 goals or more eight times in his career. His 45 assists last season matched a career high.
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