Blues hockey is once again trying to make a comeback in St. Louis. Through three games, the young guns and veterans have given the town some hope of fireworks setting off at Scottrade this season. Stuck between the lull of weekend football, no playoff baseball and a Blues game that doesn't take place until Thursday, I decided to go back in time to March of 1991, when Brett Hull reached Wayne Gretzky status.
Thanks to the SI Vault, we can relive the times of Brett Hull's ascension into superstardom. It's the above issue of SI that "officially" canonizes Hull as the peer of Gretzky and Lemieux. It came at a perfect time for the Blues, too.
That mug is Hull's. An American playing in an American city, he has helped sell the game in the States. He is a pure goal scorer, a home run hitter in a league starved for such glamour boys. Hull is a major reason why the Blues franchise, which has spent more time on the ropes than Rock Balboa, has increased its average attendance by almost 2,000 per game and is now profitable.
The article gives plenty of context to the honest and outspoken nature of Hull. He was never at a loss for words, even when describing his dad's style of play.
Brett describes Bobby's game: "He was Mr. Physical, Mr. Aggressive, real flamboyant." Now the voice rises several octaves and takes on an affected dreaminess. "Me, I just hang in the weeds, biding my time, nice...and...passive."
And for just to make all of us feel old and wax nostalgic, there's a solid reference to an old-school video gaming system.
In addition to an endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, Hull is a spokesman for a brand of trading cards. This summer, Tiger Electronics will unveil its Gretzky versus Hull hand-held one-on-one video game.
Seriously, those things were awful -- even Jordan vs. Bird. As for the cover story on Hull, there are great recaps of several games covered by SI, including one against the Rangers and Mike Richter. Richter failed to give up a goal on 11 Hull shots, but still stood in awe of the golden mullet. ... Okay, maybe it was his skills, but still.
"The more I play against Brett," he says, "the more I realize, it's not the heaviness of his shot—up here, a lot of guys have a heavy shot—it's his release. It's so quick! Also, Brett is incredibly skilled at getting open. Somehow he's always sneaking into the slot, quiet as a mouse, and getting tap-ins."
And when the feline Mike Keenan showed up, he showed the mouse the door.
If you're in the mood to relive Hull on the cover of Sports Illustrated, I strongly recommend clicking here for the story. You won't regret it.
Oh, and to answer SI's question at the very top of the cover, YES, someone can (and will) beat UNLV.
