Hull of a moment: Bobby beams as Brett ready to join dad in Hall of Fame

For everything Bobby Hull accomplished as one of the greatest hockey players of all time, the Golden Jet says his most memorable moment will take place Monday night when his son Brett joins him in the Hall of Fame.

Brett Hull, whose 714 goals are the third most in NHL history, gets inducted in ceremonies in Toronto along with Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Lou Lamoriello.

"In all the years we've been involved in hockey, it's one thing for me to look back on my career of 23 years and all the wonderful things that happened to me, but to be able to have your son be considered one of the greatest to ever play the game and one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the game, that's a Hull of a moment," Bobby Hull said.

They are the greatest father-son combination in hockey history, with Brett's 714 goals topping his dad's NHL total of 610. Bobby Hull scored 303 more goals in the World Hockey Association after leaving the Blackhawks.

Goal scoring simply ran in the family. While both Hulls had booming slap shots, Bobby was known for flying down the ice and letting his go. Brett found seams in the defense and got open for opportunities better than anyone.

"Brett always played the game with smarts," Bobby said. "He didn't have to go all over the ice to get done what I had to get done. I like to say he got more done with less work than anyone who has ever played the game."

Still, there was that big shot with the quick release Bobby Hull saw his son develop at a young age.

"When people used to ask me which one of your sons will follow in your footsteps, I'd always say keep an eye on that pudgy little guy over there if ever the light goes on," Bobby said. "His temperament was right. Nothing bothered him and he was a student of the game.

"Nobody shot the puck with better action than Brett Hull," Bobby said. "When the puck hit his stick, his thought process was like mine. It always went from your brain to your hands. As soon as the puck hit your stick we were able to release it because the thought process was already done."

Brett always remembered what his dad taught him.

"Dad told me, lean on your stick, keep your weight over the puck and shoot off the outside foot," Brett said. "And no one ever shot the puck harder than dad."

Overlooked because of his offensive prowess was Brett Hull's all-around game. Scotty Bowman recognized it the one year he coached Hull in Detroit, which was a Stanley Cup year.

"Brett was a better hockey player than people give him credit for," Bowman said. "He wasn't just a goal scorer. We had him killing penalties and he scored 10 playoff goals for us that year.

"His shot was probably second to none in his day. He was a real entertaining guy and played hard."

"Scotty would know that," Bobby Hull said. "Scotty saw a lot of things other coaches didn't. He had Brett out there killing penalties and playing in important situations."

If anything disappoints Bobby Hull it's that Brett never played for the Blackhawks. Three times the Hawks had a chance to acquire the Golden Jet's kid, and three times they took a pass.

The Hawks refused to draft Brett Hull in 1984, taking six players (Eddie Olczyk, Trent Yawney, Tom Eriksson, Timo Lehkonen, Darin Sceviour and Chris Clifford) before Hull went 117th overall to the Calgary Flames.

"All they needed to do was look at the name and it should have given them an idea of who to draft," Bobby Hull said.

When the Flames offered Brett Hull to the Hawks in a trade in 1988, general manager Bob Pulford turned the deal down.

Then when Hull became a free agent in 1998, he was this close to signing with the Hawks. But late owner Bill Wirtz and Pulford nixed the idea and Doug Gilmour was signed instead while Hull went to Dallas.

"When all the talk was about Brett coming to Chicago, I couldn't wait," Bobby Hull said. "I was beside myself thinking the fortunate people in Chicago were going to get one of the greatest goal scorers.

"The thought that Brett would end his career where I wanted to see him end it - what a shame that it never happened. Bob Pulford was the GM and he didn't like me. I don't think he wanted Brett around because he thought I would be around too much."