Today, I'm looking at The Third
Best Hull,
by Dennis Hull with Robert Thompson. (subtitled I should have been
fourth, but they wouldn't let my sister Maxine play.)
This
guy cracks me up! (there, I've said it.)
Bobby
Hull, sure, we've all heard of the Golden Jet. Brett Hull, Bobby's
son... we've all heard of the Golden Brett, and feared his slapshot.
But what about Dennis Hull? What did I know about him? Before reading
this book, I didn't know anything other than the family relationship;
brother to Bobby, uncle to Brett.
Who
knew that an auto-biography could be so much fun to read? The
stories, the practical jokes, the general mayhem that Dennis Hull
seemed to thrive on almost seems to be too much and too unbelievable,
and yet, it's all true. As Bobby Hull's brother, sure, he was often
compared to his better known sibling. But as his career moved along,
Dennis became a star in his own right, developing quite a rivalry
with Henri Richard, the “pocket-rocket.”
He
speaks candidly about playing in the 1972 Super Series against the
Russians. There are all sorts of stories and comments about his
better-known brother Bobby. There are even a few tales about his
nephew, former St. Louis Blues superstar Brett. In addition, Dennis
talks about the controversial trade that sent Phil Esposito to
Boston, and promptly made the Bruins a Stanley Cup contender.
He's
even got a career as a public speaker, and apparently is in high
demand. The stories, the laughs... he keeps the crowds in stitches
year after year.
I'll
admit, I didn't know much about Dennis Hull, other than the family
relationship, before reading this book. Now, I think hockey could use
another couple dozen characters like this. It's like opening the door
to another world. Sure, there's the playing side of people that you
hear about, but the off-ice personalities are sometimes the most fun
to read about... that's what I liked best about this book.
Special
thanks to Sara Dunn at ECW Press for making this book available for
reviewing purposes.
ECW
Press: http://www.ecwpress.com/books/hull
Powell's
City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781770411586-0
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