Late NHL Legend Bobby Hull Had Stage 2 CTE, Wife Says

Bobby Hull, the late Hockey Hall of Famer who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup, had Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died in 2023.

Hull's widow, Deborah Hull, shared his posthumous diagnosis in a statement on Wednesday.

"Seeing the pain and heartache suffered by his lifetime friend Stan Mikita's family, Bobby felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE," Hull said, per the Associated Press. "He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease."

Mikita, who died in 2018, was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE in 2019. Stage 4 is the most severe level of the disease.

After pairing with Stan Mikita to lead the Hawks to the 1961 Cup, Hull earned back-to-back Hart Trophies in Chicago as the most valuable player in the NHL between 1964 and 1966. He still holds the all-time franchise lead with 604 goals.

Hull's diagnosis was made by Boston University's CTE Center, which defines CTE as "a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive head impacts."

The disease can begin to impact patients "months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement," according to the Boston University CTE Center.

Hull retired from the NHL following the 1979-80 season. He experienced "short-term memory loss and impaired judgement over his final decade," according to the AP.

A study published by the Boston University CTE Center in December, which analyzed the brains of 77 deceased male hockey players, concluded each additional year of hockey is associated with a 34 percent increase in the odds of being diagnosed with CTE.

An NHLPA board unanimously approved the formation of a CTE advisory committee last summer, union president Marty Walsh told the AP last November. The NHLPA said in a statement the committee would "be guided by leading medical experts in this field to help players better understand CTE."