Famous coach, former defender of the USSR national team Vladimir Krikunov in a conversation with a correspondent, he recalled joint tournaments with NHL legend Bobby Hull.
Hockey legend Bobby Hull died Monday at the age of 85. He spent 20 seasons in the NHL, won the Stanley Cup with Chicago. In 2017, the NHL named Hull one of the league’s top 100 players of all time.
“I met Bobby Hull at the Canada Cup in 1976, then when our team played with clubs in North America,” Krikunov recalls. – Hull then played for Winnipeg, and they did a special tour of the city for us. We passed Bobby’s house, next to it was a huge dump truck and on the board it said – Hull.
“Was it his personal dump truck?”
– Yes, Bobby had his own company, he transported something there.
What do you remember of Hull at the Canada Cup?
— For some reason, I remember more the exhibition match between the Canadians and the Czechs, which we watched from the podium. Hull entered the zone, shooting like that… Everyone thinks: now how will he give it! But then the puck was fixed on him and slightly so tyr-tyr-tyr. The Czechs (Jiri) Kholechek stood at the door. He had to close his eyes in fear. At the same time, everyone wrote that Hull had a crazy powerful throw. And this puck so easily once, and slipped into the goal. That’s how he scored.
– Did Hull impress you during personal meetings?
– He has a good throw, of course. He is powerful, strong. Was in very good health. But then, to be honest, I was already watching more Bobby Orr. When we played in Winnipeg later, Hull asked us to wait for him after the game. He probably wanted to sign something for us as a keepsake. Well, we have changed, we are waiting. One of ours went to see where he was? He returns: “Yes, Hull is still in the bath with a cigar, they are giving him hydromassage.” Borya Mikhailov says: “Let’s go, why are we still waiting for him here?” So they left, without autographs.
Who won then?
– We won. We then played ten matches. We only lost the first one, as we had just got off the plane. And the very last. And so we had eight wins in a row. It’s a shame that such people leave. It was an era of hockey. But nothing can be done…
Bobby Hull won the Canada Cup in 1976, appeared in the Super Series in 1974 and was named an NHL All-Star 12 times between 1960 and 1972.
Source : MatchTV
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