This Day in Hockey History – June 27, 1972 – Golden Jet Crosses Over

With the stroke of 11 pens, on June 27, 1972, Bobby Hull left the Chicago Black Hawks of the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets of the new World Hockey Association (WHA). He had crossed leagues and borders to serve the WHA as encouragement for other NHL players to make the switch. 

Hull had played for Chicago since 1957, for 15 seasons. To this day, he still holds Chicago’s record for most career goals (604), most game-winning goals (98), most hat tricks (28), and most goals in one season (58). 

His contract with them was due to expire on September 30, 1972, so Hull tried to negotiate to improve his salary. According to Hull, he told the Black Hawks and publicly stated that he wished to remain with Chicago and would accept much less than the WHA had offered. “They didn’t need me as much as the new league did, and I knew that. But they never took any serious steps to offer me a contract, not even sit down and talk and start negotiating.” The owners did not approach him until about a week before he made his choice, and they offered $1 million for five years. Hull felt the effort came too late. “Even before that I felt I owed the W.H.A. and Winnipeg something. They showed that they cared.” So Hull took the better offer, remarking, “I have no hostility and no regrets about leaving Chicago and I don’t suppose they have any either.”

Black Hawks owner William Wirtz claimed that he was not able to comment until the NHL issued an official statement. However, the Sunday before Hull made his choice on Tuesday, Wirtz had noted that he did not feel any hostility considering how well Hull had played for them until that point. “If the W.H.A. doesn’t come thru with the money, our offer stands. Our door is always open,” he offered.

Some concerns lingered about the end of the Chicago contract which included the option to keep Hull on for another season. Donald Regan, WHA Counsel, claimed that clause would not be enforceable but that they would definitely fight back legally as necessary.

To add another twist, Hull’s brother Dennis had just re-signed with Chicago a couple months earlier. He remained with the Black Hawks between 1964 and when they traded him to Detroit in December 1977. By signing with a new team, Bobby Hull left his baby brother behind.

The WHA paid a fortune to obtain Hull. With the ten-year contract, the Winnipeg Jets intended to pay him $2.75 million, an unprecedented sum. For the first five seasons, he would receive a salary of $250,000 per year to play. For the latter five seasons, he was meant to receive $100,000 each year to work in their front office. The contract included the clause that he could not be traded against his wishes. To sign the contract, they flew Hull into St. Paul, Minnesota (so that he would receive a U.S. tax break). As the 95th signee of the WHA, he used 11 pens to represent the 11 clubs in the new WHA. In return, the clubs all pitched in to pay Hull’s signing bonus. At a press conference, 33-year-old Hull received an oversized check for $1 million. “This has been the greatest day, the greatest thrill in my hockey career,” he told them.

The “Golden Jet” then flew to Winnipeg to participate in a downtown motorcade before thousands of fans. Along the way, his driver accidentally bumped and dented a police car. At the press conference, he donned his No. 9 Jets sweater for the first time. He told spectators, “The pressure is on me to help this league get off the ground and believe me I’ll try.”

True to his word and the WHA’s intentions in signing him, Hull paved the way for many NHL players to switch leagues. Hull said, “The W.H.A. will be as good as the N.H.L. in a few short years. And we’re going to have some more players coming over here soon.” At the time, a WHA spokesman claimed, “With the signing of a star of Bobby Hull’s magnitude, our league has achieved instant credibility.” In his book about the WHA, Ed Willes went further, stating, “Hull didn’t just give the league instant credibility; without him, it is doubtful the league would have survived its first year, and the NHL would have gone about its business of printing money and exploiting players.” 

Hull led the Jets to the 1976 and 1978 Avco Cup championships. He remained with them even when the franchise was absorbed into the NHL in 1979. After a brief reclaiming by Chicago at that point, Winnipeg kept him until they traded Hull to Hartford on February 27, 1980. He only played 12 games there to finish out the season and playoffs before retiring. Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and Winnipeg retired his No. 9 in 1989.

Additional Sources:

• Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice(Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
• Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League(Lincolnwood, Ill.: Publications International, Ltd., 2006), 338.
• Brian McFarlane, Brian McFarlane’s History of Hockey(Champaign, Ill.: Sports Publishing Inc., c1997), 116-119.
• Bob Verdi, “Hull Jumps to W.H.A. Jets,” Chicago Tribune, 28 June 1972, section 3, pp. 1, 4, 11.