NHL legend Bobby Hull had CTE when he died, researchers say
Researchers at Boston University's CTE Center found that NHL legend Bobby Hull, who died in 2023 at age 84, suffered from Stage 2 CTE.
CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a degenerative brain disease that has been identified in athletes and military combat veterans who sustained concussions or repeated blows to the head.
It can be diagnosed only posthumously through an examination of the brain.
It is no longer uncommon to find former football players, hockey players and fighters who suffered from the disease at the times of their deaths.
"Seeing the pain and heartache suffered by his lifetime friend Stan Mikita's family, Bobby felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE," Deborah Hull, Bobby's wife of 39 years, said in a statement via the Concussion Legacy Foundation. "He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease."
"NHL families deserve to know that CTE can be a consequence of the head impacts they receive while playing the game," added Concussion Legacy Foundation CEO Dr. Chris Nowinski. "The NHL still shamelessly refuses to acknowledge this scientific truth, so we hope this message reaches current players so that they, at a minimum, can play with informed consent."
Hull played 23 professional ice hockey seasons — 16 in the NHL, and another seven in the World Hockey Association. He made his NHL debut in 1957 before hanging up his skates in 1980.
Hull helped the Chicago Blackhawks to two Stanley Cup titles, and was a 12-time All-Star and two-time MVP. His son, Brett, was also a 20-year NHL veteran and, like his dad, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Including his WHA numbers, Hull racked up 913 goals and 895 assists.
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