Surefire NHL Hall of Famer and former Minnesota-Duluth forward Brett Hull will have his No. 29 jersey retired by UMD in a ceremony Feb. 3 between the first and second periods of the Bulldogs’ WCHA contest against Wisconsin at the DECC.
“Retiring Brett’s jersey is a fitting and lasting tribute for the tremendous impact he has made on the UMD hockey program,” said UMD athletics director Bob Nielson. “His accomplishments while with the Bulldogs and in the National Hockey League are remarkable and show why he’s truly one of the game’s greatest players.”
During his sensational two-year career with the Bulldogs, Hull distinguished himself as the most prolific goal-producer in UMD history. In 1984-85, he was chosen the WCHA’s Freshman of the Year, leading all league newcomers in points while setting a Bulldog single-season mark for goals by a rookie with 32. The following season, Hull collected an NCAA-best 52 goals — a figure no Bulldog has come close to equaling since — and was named first-team All-WCHA and a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.
Hull established Bulldog records for hat tricks (seven), multiple-goal games (13) and power-play scores (20) in one season, and the career record for goals per game (0.93). In all, he was credited with 84 goals and 60 assists for 144 points in just 90 outings with the Bulldogs.
Hull, a 1997 UMD athletic Hall of Fame inductee, signed with Calgary for the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs and played 20 years in the NHL before retiring five games into the 2005-06 season as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes. A nine-time NHL All-Star and the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 1991-92, he finished with 741 goals (third all-time) and 650 assists in 1,269 regular-season games.
Besides winning Stanley Cups in 1999 with the Dallas Stars and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings, Hull skated for the U.S. team that captured the 1996 World Cup of Hockey title, and captured a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. His international playing resume also includes stints with the U.S. at the 1998 Olympics, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships.
In 1997, Hull was selected to the 26-member American Hockey Coaches Association All-Time West Team in celebration of the 100th anniversary of college hockey. Four years later, he was included on the WCHA’s “Top 50 Players in 50 Years” team as well.
Hull becomes just the second UMD male athlete to ever have his jersey retired, joining fellow hockey forward Keith “Huffer” Christiansen (1963-67).
