Stars' Hull Faded In Detroit Before Emerging As An Exec

I've seen Brett Hull wear many sweaters slipped over his street clothes, sitting in a chair at center ice, as he participates in a tribute -- be it for him, or for someone else. His no. 16 is in the rafters in St. Louis, retired. He wore the winged wheel a year ago January when the Red Wings shuttered no. 19 in honor of Steve Yzerman. And he wore a Dallas Stars sweater proudly over his streets when they celebrated a Stanley Cup in 1999.

Now Hull just has the suit, not the sweater, as he will watch his Stars -- he's co-GM -- take on the Red Wings in this year's Western Conference Final. He still, to me, seems too much of an oddball to be a general manager -- not that he won't be a good one.

When last seen around these parts -- prior to the Yzerman tribute -- Brett Hull was a washed up, malcontent forward who vanished into thin air during the 2004 playoffs. A coach with a stronger resume, i.e. Scotty Bowman, almost certainly would have benched him; he was simply awful. But the Red Wings were in the post-Bowman Era, and Dave Lewis opted for sticking his head in the sand while Hull loafed. Communication broke down between Lewis and Hull, which is ironic, because if there's anything Brett Hull does better than score goals, is communicate -- whether you want him to or not.

So Hull faded away, and turned up with the Phoenix Coyotes after the lockout, though he only played in five games before retiring at age 41. He tried his hand at TV, but found it too suffocating, under NBC's intermission format. Then he landed the Stars' gig, and it'll be interesting to see how long he lasts there.




Hull gave the Red Wings three solid seasons (scoring 92 goals), and one lousy playoff. Sadly, my lasting image of him in Detroit is the Hull whose mug should have been on the side of a milk carton, rather than the one that will rightfully be on display in Toronto, at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Maybe that's my baggage that I'm making him carry, but that's how I feel. I think after seeing him for nearly 20 years in the NHL, I had just grown weary of Hull's outrageous mouth. He quit on a first-year head coach, letting his team down in the process, and that's just not cool.

But what's past is past.

There's no questioning Hull's knowledge of pro hockey, and he may even be a pretty astute judge of talent. Those two things are a good start for an aspiring GM. But while being outspoken and brash and abrasive might be good traits for a superstar player -- or even a coach -- it's hard to see that translating to the front office. Likewise, it's difficult to imagine "Hullie" toning his act down, even if he's wearing a tailored suit rather than a hockey sweater.

We'll see how quotable Hull is -- or isn't -- during this conference final, a series in which his team will lose in no more than six games.