St. Louis Today has an article with the greatest hits from Brett Hull’s career. I get a kick out of #3.
3. Buffaloed
With the Blues off to a slow start in October 1995, GM/coach Mike Keenan scratched future Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk for what would have been Hawerchuk’s first game in Buffalo since the Blues signed him as a free agent the previous offseason. Hawerchuk had played five seasons in Buffalo, and family members, including his grandmother, had traveled to Buffalo for the game. Keenan also scratched defenseman Jeff Norton for the game, and benched Hull during the game -– a 5-2 Blues’ loss.
After the game, Keenan criticized all three players: On Hull: “He didn’t give us much of an effort tonight. He took the night off.” … On Hawerchuk: “Dale has not helped the hockey club. For a guy who makes $2 1/2 million, he’s played very poorly. He’s not committing himself to helping the hockey club.” Keenan also said he “wouldn’t mind” trying to trade Hawerchuk, whom he signed to a 3-year, $7.5 million contract. “I went out on a limb for him. I’m disappointed. His attitude for the last 10 years has been to pace himself, and he’s forgotten how to work. … On Norton: “He’s been lackadaisical in his approach. There are other fellows that want to play.”
Hull fired back: “I got no ice time. Dale and Jeff were in the press box. Am I getting blamed for that, too? You have to be responsible for your actions in terms of your decisions and not blame everyone else. He had a Hall of Famer in the press box and another great player in the press box, too. It’s hard to generate anything like that.”
Hull defended Hawerchuk, saying “he hasn’t been given a chance to play (by Keenan) as far as I’m concerned.” And he criticized Keenan for scratching Hawerchuk, “His folks were here, he played here. That’s not something I would consider very respectful that you do to a Hall-of-Fame player.”
The next day, Keenan took away Hull’s captaincy, saying it was a decision the coaching staff had made several days earlier and that “It’s not personal.”
“It’s not personal? The heck it’s not personal. It is personal,” Hull retorted. “It’s a complete slap in the face. If I had done something to deserve it . . . I’ve worked my tail off. I changed my whole game for him, and that’s not good enough? I stand up for my teammates. Isn’t that what a captain’s supposed to do?
“I haven’t done anything wrong, and he has the (guts) to blame me. What is that? I don’t care where he’s coached or what he’s done, but no one has done what I’ve done for him.”
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