Bobby Hull, Blackhawks legend, dies at age 84

Bobby Hull, a 12-time All-Star and two-time Hart Trophy winner who was also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, passed away on Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks reported. He was 84.

"We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family," the team said in a statement. "The Hull family has requested privacy during this difficult time. They appreciate the sympathies that have been sent their way."

Hull, who was dubbed the Golden Jet during his playing career due to his lightning-quick skating and blond hair, won the hearts of Chicagoans when he teamed up with Stan Mikita to help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, breaking a 23-year title drought.

Hull adopted Mikita's strategy of bending the blade of his wooden stick in the 1960s and developed one of the league's most dreaded slap shots as a result. He hit the ball with a slap shot at 118 mph.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement called Hull "a true superstar with a gregarious personality.''