No. 64: BOBBY HULL PART I: On the death of the Golden Jet with no violins nor tears, hockey's cringiest icon. (Please avoid the word "hero.")

He was spectacular on the ice, loathsome away from the arena. If his life makes for an uncomfortable conversation, imagine going on the national news to dissect his legacy.

From 1972: Bobby Hull had already reached an agreement in principle with Ben Hatskin to jump to the WHA when he donned his Chicago sweater for a Sports Illustrated cover shoot.

With the death of Bobby Hull announced yesterday, I was pretty wrapped up with media requests for hours, which was what I expected. If you Googled “Bobby Hull and Book” the first thing that pops up is my book from 2011, The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend. I’m not an expert on Bobby Hull—there you should go to teammates and family members. I am what passes for an expert.

The requests came in waves. TV first, leading off this interview on CBC, which was later used in the top story on The National; then radio, which came mostly from out west where he’s fondly remembered for his time with the original Winnipeg Jets; and then print media which went all the way down to the daily paper in St Catharines, where he played as a teenager.

I jotted down a couple o…