"The Biggest Pain in the Neck Ever" - Dallas Stars hockey player Brett Hull - Interview

Hockey Digest, Summer, 2001 by Jennifer Floyd

In the twilight of his prolific career, Hull looks to score more with his pointed opinions than his lethal shot

WHEN BRETT HULL RETIRES from the NHL, he says he wants to stay involved with hockey and help make the game better for fans. He just doesn't want to do his work off-the-ice quite yet, and the Dallas Stars are just one of the teams likely to try and accommodate his wish this summer.

Hull, who made 87 million in 2000-2001, becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Yes, Hull turns 37 on August 9, but in an NHL where goals are still rare, look for plenty of organizations to be willing to pay for a guy who is still able to get 354-0 goals a season.

And look for Hull to find a way to keep playing. He's already said he'd be willing to sign for a little less to stay in Dallas.

"They've got a big payroll here, but I'd be more than happy to help with that because like I was telling [Stars coach Ken] Hitchcock, I don't think I'm worth the money I'm being paid," Hull says. "Well, you know what I mean. I'm realistic. And realistically, I'm not that type of player that earns that type of money any more. So I'd be willing to take a little cut to get a couple of extra years."

Hull isn't ready to say goodbye, even if he sometimes talks like he wouldn't miss hockey at all. While he doesn't like the defensive-minded way the sport is played nowadays, he isn't ready to walk away. He'd view that as quitting in a way.

"I can't retire after this year," Hull says. "I could, but I can't because I'm not going to let this game get the better of me. I am beating this game. I am not going to go out sour. I've had too many great times in this game. I'm not going out sour. I'm going to go out on my terms, not the game's terms."

That attitude is one of the reasons that Hull was the Stars' nominee this year for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. "I think the biggest thing for me is being able to adjust to the way the game has changed," Hull says. "It's basically a 180-degree turn from the style I like to play. That's what I think I'm most proud of, being able to fit into this style of game and still be fairly successful."

HOCKEY DIGEST: How much longer do you think you'll play?

BRETT HULL: I see myself playing as long as I am partially enjoying the game and partially successful and they are paying me. But honestly, two more years is about all I can take.

HD: What does 640-plus career goals mean to you?

BH: I let other people look at things like that. I look at it and think, "I feel almost like I want more." That's what infuriates me about the game: the fact that [scoring is] the one thing I love to do and it's almost like you are not allowed to do it anymore. I just want to get to a [statistical] level that only a couple of people have been before and it pisses me off that. I don't know if I'll be able to do it when I'm capable of doing it.

HD: You've become a voice for the people, talking about how the NHL needs to become a more fan-friendly game. Was that a conscious decision?

BH: Yes, not for any particular reason except [that the fans] are the most important part of the game. Without them, there is no game. They are going to quit coming to the games if we don't make the game better, more entertaining. However we do it, we have to do it. It's not like I [became a fan advocate] to be a pain in the [butt] to the league or to the organizations I played for. I did it because I loved the game.

It's the same reason I've been known to be hard on players. But it's only because I want them to be better and be the best they can be. At times, I just don't think they try to do that and it's the same with the league. Sometimes I don't think the league is trying to make itself better. Sometimes I think the league is just stifling itself, and I want people just to think and wonder, "Can it be better? What can we do to make it better?" And that's what I want. I talk all the time about how when I retire I want to be a part of the game. I don't want to be [an empty suit]. I want to be a part of the game. But I'm not going to work for the Players' Association and I'm not going to work for the league. I'm going to work somewhere where we can bring both sides together and make it a better game. That's what I'd like to do. If that's possible, that's great If not, then I"ll continue to try to make the league better through other means.

HD: At the beginning of the season, you passed your father, Bobby, on the all-time goals-scored list. What did that mean to you?

BH: It's kind of bittersweet because there is so much respect for him. and what he did and what he meant to the game that I don't consider myself worthy to pass him. I don't think my 600-and-whatever goals are that close to his 600 goals because of the time and the era and the way the game was [when he played]. So I don't measure myself that way. I will always consider him one of the top five greatest players ever. I have more goals and more points, but I'm certainly not going to consider myself one of the top five greatest players ever.