NHL icon and Chicago Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull passed away on January 30, 2023, and more than two years later, it’s been determined that he was dealing with CTE.
The findings were revealed on Wednesday by the Concussion Legacy Foundation, per Daily Faceoff.
“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,” Hull’s wife of 39 years, Deborah Hull, told the CLF. “He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease.”
Hull is the most popular NHL player to be diagnosed with the traumatic disease. Per his wife, he had Stage 2 CTE and had trouble with memory loss over the final 10 years of his life leading up to his death. The Hall of Famer led the league in scoring seven times and also won the Hart Trophy twice He was truly a superstar on the ice.
The NHL is one of the last leagues that has yet to acknowledge the link between the sport and CTE, which can come from repetitive blows to the head.
“NHL families deserve to know that CTE can be a consequence of the head impacts they receive while playing the game,” CLF CEO Chris Nowinski said in a release. “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.”
Bobby Hull died at 84 years old and his family donated Hull his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University’s CTE Center. There have been 19 ex-NHLers to donate their brains to research after death and 18 have been diagnosed with CTE.
Just like in the NFL, it’s a problem in the NHL as well. Gary Bettman and the league must do something to protect its players.
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