Facing Up to Hull Meant Risking Life

In the days before NHL goalies wore protective masks, they risked their lives each time they faced Bobby Hull and his 100-m.p.h. slapshot.

Hull told Hockey Digest: “I was never afraid that I would kill anyone, but there was one particular shot against Gump Worsley, when he was playing for Montreal, that scared the hell out of me. When I let it go I was out in the slot and it got away on me a little bit.

“I hollered for Gump to look out. Of course, it was too late then. It had already gone by Gump’s head, and it severed his ear. He didn’t move until (the puck) hit the glass behind him and bounced out in front.

“Then he took his glove off and saw that he was bleeding. I was imagining what would have happened if the puck had hit him in the face.”

Add hockey: Eric Lindros, 16, of the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals, is projected as the first pick in the 1991 NHL entry draft. Lindros, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, scored four goals in the World Junior Hockey Championships for Team Canada, which won the gold medal Thursday.

Oshawa owner John Humphreys says of Lindros: “He’s a bit of a Mario Lemieux clone. He’s a huge kid, but he’s tremendously skilled. I saw him in a game in Toronto, and he got four goals. In the warmups, he had one hand on his stick and he fired a bullet off the boards. He couldn’t be intimidated. He was awesome.”

Trivia time: On Jan. 7, 1979, who intercepted two passes in the second half to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 28-0 victory over the Rams in the NFC championship game?

Count on it: Rookie offensive lineman Tony Mandarich, on the media’s handling of his flop with the Green Bay Packers: “There will be a day--and you can quote it and save it for next year--when I’ll play here and be in the Pro Bowl and when these people want to interview me, they can stick it.”

Add Mandarich: Packer trainer Domenic Gentile, on reports that Mandarich didn’t play well because he lost weight: “He weighed 295 pounds on Dec. 7. He weighed 297 when he first reported (Sept. 6), so he’d lost two pounds. If that made a big difference in his ability, I can’t believe it.”

Quietly outstanding: Second-year Philadelphia 76er guard Hersey Hawkins was voted Missouri Valley Conference player of the decade, thanks to his having led the nation in scoring at Bradley. Seattle SuperSonic forward Xavier McDaniel became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding while at Wichita State of the MVC the same season. McDaniel finished second in the voting.

“That’s nothing new,” McDaniel said. “Until I got drafted (fourth), nobody seemed to notice.”

Circumstantial evidence: Linebacker Matt Millen of the San Francisco 49ers on his reputation: “In high school, they said I was the dirtiest player ever. Then, when I went to Penn State, one of the pristine places in the world, they said I played hard. Then I went to the Raiders and they said I was a dirty player. Now I’m with the 49ers and they say, ‘Boy, he plays hard.’ ”

Trivia answer: Charlie Waters.

Quotebook: Stu Jackson, coach of the New York Knicks, after center Patrick Ewing suffered bruised ribs in a fall against the Miami Heat recently: “I saw my life pass in front of me.”