Remembering Bobby ‘the Golden Jet’ Hull in Waterloo region
Though Bobby Hull will forever be remembered for the excitement he generated on the ice, the late hockey star also had a local connection, launching his junior hockey career in Waterloo region.
Hull played in Cambridge in the 1950’s with the Hespeler Hawks and the Galt Black Hawks.
“He had a connection to Cambridge in his young days and whenever a legend passes away, a lot of people admire him and hero worship him,” said Dave Menary, co-founder of the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame.
Menary said Hull was scouted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1953 to play with the Junior ‘B’ Hespeler Hawks at just 14 years old.
He later joined the Junior ‘A’ Galt Black Hawks up until the 1954-1955 season.
“Most of his practices were at Hespeler Arena but he did play half a dozen games with Galt Junior ‘A’ Black Hawks’ team, which was based out of Galt Arena,” said Menary.
The Galt Arena is believed to be the oldest continually operating arena in the world, having celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. Some memories of Hull’s time there are still showcased.
“There’s been a lot of players and people that come through here and ended up in the NHL with great careers and Bobby Hull was one of the biggest,” said Dean Bevan, supervisor of Galt Arena Gardens.
Despite Hull’s short stint in Cambridge, Bevan said he left a lasting impact.
“A lot of people were great followers of him. He had a big fan base and I’m sure they became Chicago Blackhawks fans,” he said.
Throughout his illustrious career, Hull earned the Golden Jet nickname for a reason.
“He was working on his slap shot that he became famous for in the NHL later,” said Menary.
Off the ice, Hull was also an all around athlete, playing football at Preston High School and competing in track and field at Galt Collegiate. It was at a meet, where Hull pulled his hamstring.
“There he is out on the ice not performing very well. They ended up sending him to Woodstock which had a Junior B team,” said Menary.
According to Menary, even though Hull was initially upset, he went on to win the All Ontario Junior ‘B’ Championship there, propelling his career to eventually lead him to the NHL.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.