Hall Of Fame Jackass

You may recall this image from the 2019 Stanley Cup parade and celebration in St. Louis when a clearly-inebriated Brett Hull took to the stage and continued a long-standing tradition of prominent goal-scoring Hulls getting wasted in public and doing dumb things. After seeing how his father, Bobby, lived his life and some of the things he did, you'd expect Brett to be a little smarter in his actions and words. The key in that phrase, however, is "expect", and it seems that Hull, like his dad, is proving that expectations are falling short of what's acceptable and reasonable in his post-playing days.

Hull was on Sportsnet's Hockey Central yesterday, and the hosts asked him about the recent problems facing Brendan Leipsic. After all Hull has seen and done in his career, this was his response.

"We did the same things, we said the same things, but there was no way to get caught," Hull said on Sportsnet's Hockey Central on Friday. "We can go out after games, we can go to strip clubs, we can go to bars, and we could do whatever we wanted, and it would all be hearsay."

"The fun is gone," he added. "The game is not fun anymore to me."

Seriously? That's his takeaway from all this?

Look, Brett Hull was never one to mince words during his time in the NHL to which a number of people will attest, but it's times like this where his mouth is his own worst enemy as he's stuffed both feet squarely in his own kisser. Why, you ask?

Incredulously, he's equating the questionable stuff he did off the ice and never got caught for with the game being fun. Not the hooking or the holding or the fighting in the game - the stuff he labels as "hearsay" is what took the fun out of the game.

Was he drunk on Friday at noon too?

Look, there's no doubt that NHL players of the past got away with almost everything except murder (unless you're Craig MacTavish). Adultery, drug use, the occasional bar fight - it was all part of the life for NHL players. But how on earth did that make the game more fun?

I know it's hard for a guy who loves to run his mouth to keep quiet when asked about a controversial situation, but Brett Hull is entirely in the wrong here. Times have changed since Brett played, and, like his dad, he's now a dinosaur walking around in a modern world with his views on the game where he was once a star. While I know that old dogs rarely learn new tricks, learning to take the high road would serve Brett well when asked for his thoughts on controversial topics.

For a guy who seemed to never get caught, I'd think before speaking from now on.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!