Legendary St. Louis Blues winger Brett Hull explained why he avoided chasing empty-net goals during his career. Hull was a prolific goal scorer but wanted to ensure he did not receive more attention than he already did. The former Blues captain provided a glimpse into his philosophy pertaining to goal scoring.
Hull was a focal point in the Blues’ offense during his time in St. Louis. His most productive seasons saw him score 72, 86, and 70 goals respectively, followed by multiple 40 and 50 goal seasons. However, he rarely scored on an empty net.
During his Ice Guardians Podcast, Hull explained that in hindsight, he could have scored many more goals. But, doing so would have attracted additional attention from the opposing players he often battled with to score his goals. That attention could have led to him being an even bigger target during games.
“I don’t know how many games when I had two goals in the first period and I just said, ‘Okay,’” Hull said. “My whole theory was being invisible and the last thing I wanted to do is have Chris Chelios [expletive] at me, chasing me around the ice.”
Former Blues Captain Brett Hull Was Targeted By Opposing Defensemen
Brett Hull also revealed that he had to worry about the opposing teams’ defensemen.
Although there were many enforcers in the NHL, most of them were forwards and would target other enforcers instead. Hall was a clear goal-scoring threat, so the opposing team’s top defenseman would be tasked with stopping him.
Hall noted that the officials were more lenient during his era. Because of that, he was constantly slashed in attempts to take away space, limiting his scoring opportunities.
“I wasn’t worried about the forwards. The defensemen [is] who I had to worry about. They’re looking for me all the time. I’m not going to be able to get open,” Hull said on Ice Guardians Podcast. “I was getting cheap shots either way back then. That was a way of life. You were gonna get it. Cross-check in the lower back.”
Hull also praised his teammates who protected him and stood up for him.
“I’d hear it every game. Kelly Chase and Tony Twist, and Darin Kimble, and all the great teammates and tough guys we had,” Hull said. “You’d hear it from the bench, ‘That’s enough! I can see it. That’s enough cause you’re gonna get it.’”
Hull Says He Freed Up Space for His Teammates
Hull also explained his mentality on dealing with aggressive play from defensemen.
When the opposing team’s defenseman would slash him in front of the net, Hull would slowly move further away. In doing so, Hull was able to draw the defenseman closer to him, which allowed other Blues scorers to capitalize.
“I told them that all the time. If they take me away, I’m going to try [the defenseman] even farther away so that it opens up even more ice for [Brendan Shanahan] and Jeff Brown,” Hull said. “Brown could slide right down where I was if I take [the defenseman] far enough away, and he was deadly from the high slot.”
He added:
“I don’t care who scores. If they want to take me away, you guys score. Let’s win.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blues Legend Brett Hull Explains Why He Avoided Empty-Net Goals appeared first on Heavy Sports.
