Often overshadowed by his brother and nephew, Dennis Hull was no hack on the ice, either. The younger brother of Bobby Hull and the uncle of Brett Hull, Dennis played in the NHL from 1964-65 to 1977-78. All but his final season were played with the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1977-78, Hull played 55 regular season games and an additional seven in the playoffs with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring.
So, how does the Dennis Hull rookie card stack up against the rest of the family? The 1965-66 Topps number 64 rookie card of Dennis Hull is valued at a high of $30. A reasonable price for a player not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. To put it in perspective, brother Bobby’s 1958-59 Topps #66 rookie card is worth more than the whole 1965-66 Topps set ($3000 to $2700). The Brett Hull rookie card from the 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee series is valued at up to $50 by Beckett.
Dennis Hull played four years in the OHA (predecessor to the Ontario Hockey League) from 1960-61 to 1963-64, all with the St. Catherines Teepees / Black Hawks. In his final season in St. Catherines, Hull broke out with 48 goals and 97 points in just 55 games. He was selected a First Team All-Star that season.
Hull hit the 40 goal plateau once during his NHL career, 1970-71, with exactly 40. His best offensive season came in 1972-73 when he led the Black Hawks with 90 points on 39 goals and 51 assists. He added another 24 points in 16 playoff games as Chicago made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals before dropping in six to the Montreal Canadiens. His 24 points were one less than Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Yvan Cournoyer of the Habs. In a year that started with him playing for Team Canada in the legendary Summit Series against the Soviet Union, surely 1972-73 stands out as his career year.
Over his career, Dennis played in five NHL all-star games and was selected a Second Team All-Star for that career year in 1972-73. Hull finished his 14 year NHL career with 303 goals and 654 points over 959 regular season games. Ironically, brother Bobby put up exactly the same number of regular season goals in just 411 World Hockey Association games.
Dennis takes living in the shadow of his more famous family members in stride. He’s made a post NHL career of public speaking and stand-up comedy. In 1998, he came out with a book titled The Third Best Hull. The product description from Amazon of the 172 page book goes like this:
Hockey legend Gordie Howe once said there were two superstars in the Hull family: Bobby, the Golden Jet and one of the greatest players ever to tie up a pair of skates, and his brother Dennis, who had a solid career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Dennis Hull outlines his life in hockey with humorous anecdotes, insights, and stories. Not just another sports autobiography, this book provides insight into the life of a hockey star without taking itself too seriously. Recounted are the time Hull taught Guy Lafleur to speak English; how he once won a coin toss worth $250,000; and his ongoing rivalry with Henri Richard, the younger brother of the legendary Canadiens’ great Maurice Richard. Hull recounts the famed 1972 Russia-Canada series and speaks with stunning candor about his brother, Bobby; his nephew and St. Louis Blues’ star Brett Hull; and hockey legends like Howe, Ken Dryden, and Bobby Orr
Dennis Hull Collection
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1960-61 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 47 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 33 |
| 1961-62 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 50 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 29 |
| 1962-63 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 50 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 73 |
| 1963-64 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 55 | 48 | 49 | 97 | 123 |
| 1964-65 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 55 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 18 |
| 1965-66 | St. Louis Braves | CPHL | 40 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 14 |
| 1965-66 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 25 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| 1966-67 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 33 |
| 1967-68 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 74 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 34 |
| 1968-69 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 72 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 25 |
| 1969-70 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 76 | 17 | 35 | 52 | 31 |
| 1970-71 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 40 | 26 | 66 | 16 |
| 1971-72 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 10 |
| 1972-73 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 78 | 39 | 51 | 90 | 27 |
| 1973-74 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 74 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 15 |
| 1974-75 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 10 |
| 1975-76 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 80 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 28 |
| 1976-77 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 75 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 2 |
| 1977-78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 55 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 959 | 303 | 351 | 654 | 261 |