There's something in my eye — mayhap a speck of sentiment
They'll have to re-retire Bobby's briefly
un-retired number 9. Brett Hull, the NHL's all-time third leading scorer, officially
called it quits yesterday. He realized, he said, that at "41 years old and after a year and a half layoff, I didn't have what it took to play in the new game that was so exciting."
Commissioner Bettman waxed eulogic, saying "the National Hockey League will miss Brett's skill, his scoring touch and his fun-loving attitude." He added that Brett "was a splendid athlete, a passionate player and someone who never hesitated to speak his mind." Subtext: the National Hockey League will
not miss that. Here's Hull on Bettman last year:
"I think the fans lost interest starting 10 years ago when Gary Bettman came in, and I think everyone who has watched the game has seen the game decline not only in popularity, but the actual game itself has declined in skill and excitement and fan entertainment value."*
Here's Bettman on Hull in 2001:
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman seemed not so thrilled by Hull's comments.
'We don't sit on the players' lips,' Bettman said. 'We don't tell them what to say. ... They even say some things that make me grimace. But that is OK.'"
I'll miss Brett. Every pro sports league thrives on guys like him — the rare player who's a superstar on the ice, and reliably provocative/funny/obnoxious off. There won't be another character like him cracking the top five scorers' list in a while.
*
Quelle ironie: the league's new rules are just what Brett's been on about for years. If you accept that they've brought an increase in skill, speed, scoring and excitement, you could argue that the very change Hull sought has pushed him out of the game. (That and the mercilessly grinding wheels of time, of course.) Old, busted NHLer, meet the new hotness that is the post-lockout NHL.