Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek.
I hope all you dads out there had a great Father’s Day yesterday!
In light of the ‘holiday’ (which is one of the most important all year), we the writers at The Sports Debates got into a lengthy conversation about which father and son tandem was the best to have played their respective sports during their respective times.
There were many worthy names that came into discussion – Griffey, Manning, Earnhardt, Bonds, etc. But with each family name brought up, there was usually one of the two (or three) whose accomplishments overshadowed the others.
For the Mannings, Peyton and Eli may have both been Super Bowl MVPs, but Archie was little more than a good quarterback for a lousy team. Archie is known more as being the father of Peyton and Eli than he is for being the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints.
Likewise, Dale Jr. is nowhere near the driver that his father was, a point discussed in a previous debate on this site.
In most cases, the name is made ‘great’ by one family member, but only made ‘good’ by the other. You could even go so far as to argue the point that the ‘good’ one is only perceived as such because of the legacy he shares with his family member.
There is one exception to this rule, though, which makes them the de facto BEST father-son tandem to have played in any sport – The NHL’s Bobby and Brett Hull.
For the entire second half of the 20th century (that’s 50 years to all you mathematicians out there), the NHL was DOMINATED by a Hull (two if you include Bobby’s brother, Dennis, who had a very impressive career in his own right). Beginning with Bobby’s rookie season in 1958, and not ending until Brett’s retirement in 2006, the name Hull was synonymous with the NHL.
Both Hulls were named to the list of the Greatest 100 Hockey Players of All Time. Bobby was named the eighth greatest ever, while Brett comes in at 64. While 64 may not seem THAT impressive (although even being considered the 64th best player of all-time is still a great accomplishment), this list was actually published while Brett was still an active player in 1998, and he still had eight years remaining in his career. It should also be noted that he was one of only 13 active players to be named to the list.
Between the two of them, Bobby and Brett also share three Stanley Cups (one for Bobby and two for Brett), three Hart Memorial Trophies for being the league MVP (two for Bobby and one for Brett), two Lady Byng Memorial Trohpies (one apiece), and 20 All-Star selections (twelve for Bobby and eight for Brett).
It was their ability to score goals, however, that truly set them apart.
When Bobby Hull retired in 1980, he had scored 610 goals in the NHL, and at the time was ranked second all-time in goals scored for the league. Although several players have surpassed his total in the 30 years since he last skated in the NHL, he still ranks ranks 15th all-time. If you add to that already impressive total the additional 303 goals that Bobby scored while playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association, he actually ranks second all-time with 913 combined goals scored as a professional hockey player, falling short only of his teammate Gordie Howe’s combined total of 975.
Not even the “Great One”, Wayne Gretzky, scored that many goals in his professional career.
And speaking of players who have since passed Bobby Hulls career NHL goal total, Brett Hull retired in 2006 with 741 goals scored, placing him CURRENTLY as third on the all-time NHL list, behind Gretzky and Howe.
There is no other father and son tandem in all of professional sports in which both father AND son can claim that same level of success during their times as active players.
Rather than having their careers and/or legacies enhanced because of their lineage, it was their lineage that was enhanced because of their separate careers. Unlike the other so-called great father and son tandems, Bobby and Brett Hull were both STAND-ALONE legends in their times. Their careers were separately GREAT (not just good), which is why they are the only father and son tandem to BOTH have been inducted into their sport’s Hall of Fame.
Bobby and Brett Hull were BOTH champions. They were BOTH MVPs. They were BOTH statistically among the best to have ever played their sport. And now, they are BOTH in the Hall of Fame.
The Hulls stand alone (together) as the best father and son tandem ever.
