Bobby Hull.

Bobby Hull. Bobby Hull, born in 1939, Canadian ice hockey player, who was the first individual to score more than 50 goals during a National Hockey League (NHL) season. An extremely fast left wing with a powerful slap shot, Hull won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player (MVP) in 1965 and 1966. Toward the end of his career he played in the World Hockey Association (WHA), a rival league to the NHL. He was named MVP of that league in 1973 and 1974. Robert Marvin Hull was born in Pointe Anne, Ontario. He showed NHL potential as a youngster and advanced quickly through the ranks of minor league hockey. At the age of 17, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1957-58 NHL season. By the 1959-60 season Hull was one of the league's most dynamic players, leading the NHL in goals (39) and total points (81). During the next 12 seasons he scored 30 or more goals a year, and he was a major factor in the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup victory in 1961. In the 1965-66 season Hull totaled 54 goals, breaking the record of 50 goals held by Maurice Richard. He went on to lead the league in goals the next three seasons, as well. Hull's hockey skills included an incredible skating speed that was recorded at 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h) while handling the puck, and a slap shot that approached the goal net at nearly 120 mph (190 km/h). These abilities, plus his blond good looks, gave Hull the nickname the Golden Jet. He gained a following of young hockey fans who appreciated his easy demeanor and patience for autograph requests. In 1972 Hull signed on as player-coach with the Winnipeg Jets of the newly formed WHA (now the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL), giving the league instant respect. He stayed with the Jets for seven and a half seasons before joining the Hartford Whalers of the WHA in 1979. The team joined the NHL when the NHL and WHA merged a year later, and Hull retired from professional ice hockey at the end of the season. In total, Hull recorded 610 goals and 560 assists during 16 seasons of regular-season NHL play. He also recorded 62 goals and 67 assists in the postseason. He was selected to the NHL All-Star team 12 times. Hull added another 303 goals and 335 assists during his time in the WHA. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.