Hull of a comeback story

So, the Blackhawks are going to erect statues of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita outside the United Center.

Just a few years ago this would have been the equivalent of Sean Penn going hunting with Sarah Palin.

Seriously, Hull officially is established as the comeback sports figure of the century, either century, last century or this century.

Hull's only competition for the award would be if the late Dollar Bill Wirtz rolled over on his wallet, slipped off his designated cloud and plunged back down to Madison Street.

As Hawks fans young and old know, back in the early 1970s Hull and Wirtz became about as compatible as water and oil or concrete and soil.

While cleaning up the basement at our place last month we came across a box of old Sports Illustrateds.

You might want to glance at the issue on top of the heap to be reminded just how bitter a divorce Hull and the Hawks suffered.

The date of the issue: June 19, 1972. The price: 60 cents. The cover boy: A familiar face still young enough to have some of his own blond hair.

The accompanying captions read, “The man they want to steal” and “Chicago superstar Bobby Hull.”

The new World Hockey Association was courting Hull and the Golden Jet was preparing to become a Winnipeg Jet.

“Hockey's turn to wage a war,” the headline said above the story inside.

The WHA challenged the NHL, just as the AFL challenged the NFL and the ABA challenged the NBA. Hull would be the WHA's big splash, sort of like Joe Namath was the AFL's.

“I've made a verbal deal with Winnipeg and the WHA,” SI quoted Hull as saying. “If they make good on it, I'm gone. They will have themselves a hockey player. I would be a fool not to take advantage of an offer like this. But the money will have to be in the bank before I put my signature on the dotted line.”

The story said Hull would receive $2 million over five years, with 10 other WHA teams contributing $100,000 apiece and the Jets the other $1 million.

“The name of the game now,” Hull was quoted as saying, “is money.”

However, something more than just this particular contract was at play: Hull already was mad at the owners of the Blackhawks, or Black Hawks as they were back then.

Here's a key paragraph from SI writer Mark Mulvoy's piece:

“Hull and the Black Hawks have not been on friendly terms the last three years. Hull believes he was humiliated in 1969 when the Hawks scheduled one of the few downtown press conferences in their history and forced him to apologize publicly for an extended holdout.”

The next quote from Hull reads like a tell-all: “I can never forget what they did to me then.”

That was then. Hull went to Winnipeg, played for the Jets and eventually some WHA teams, including the Jets, were absorbed into the NHL.

For decades Hull and the Hawks essentially were estranged, like Brad and Jennifer. But beware, Angelina.

This is now: Hull is a club ambassador and the Black Hawks, uh, Blackhawks will honor him with a statue.

Rocky Wirtz continues to heal strained relationships with former Hawks his father Bill alienated.

Bobby Hull apparently not only forgot but forgave the Wirtzes on the way to becoming comeback sports figure of maybe forever.