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Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull diagnosed with CTE

Photo credit: The Canadian Press/AP

Today, the widow of Hockey Hall of Famer and two-time NHL MVP Bobby Hull is announcing his stage 2 CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) diagnosis by researchers at the BU CTE Center to raise awareness for the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts in hockey and encourage support for research.

Hull’s family donated his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank at the BU CTE Center after he passed away in 2023 at age 84.

“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,” said Deborah Hull, Bobby’s wife of 39 years. “He insisted on donating his brain, feeling as though it was his duty to help advance research on this agonizing disease.”

Hull played professionally for 23 years, 15 seasons in the NHL, most notably for the Chicago Blackhawks where he won a Stanley Cup, two Hart Memorial Trophies, three Art Ross Trophies and led the NHL in goals scored seven times.

For the last nearly 10 years of his life, he struggled with many of the cognitive symptoms of CTE such as short-term memory loss and impaired judgement.

“We are grateful to Bobby Hull and all of the NHL players and families who are helping us learn how to prevent, diagnose, and treat CTE,” said Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the Boston University CTE Center and UNITE Brain Bank.

Read the full announcement of Hull’s diagnosis here, along with additional coverage in ESPN, TSN, and The Daily Faceoff.

Dr. Nowinski calls on NHL to “end this charade”

In December 2024, the BU CTE Center published the largest ever study of deceased male hockey players, finding that 18 of 19 NHL players studied had CTE. The BU study also found that the odds of developing CTE increased by 34% for each year of hockey played.

“NHL families deserve to know that CTE can be a consequence of the head impacts they receive while playing the game,” said Nowinski. “The NHL still shamelessly refuses to acknowledge this scientific truth, so we hope this message reaches current players so that they, at a minimum, can play with informed consent.”