STRAIGHT SHOOTER

It is part of Brett Hull’s charm that although he can be savagely blunt, he can also be almost childlike in his eagerness to please. He may be contradictory, but he’s never dull.

While visiting Toronto, he said he would love to play there when he becomes a free agent because of the Maple Leafs’ tradition. In Anaheim, he said he loved the weather. In Chicago, he pictured himself wearing a Blackhawk uniform, perhaps the No. 9 sweater worn by his father, Bobby, the Golden Jet.

But he also said he would have re-signed with the St. Louis Blues, whom he professes to love “more than almost anything except my family,” for less money than he could get on the open market if they had given him a no-trade clause.

If he won no fans in the NHL office for declaring that hooking and holding had turned hockey into a rodeo, he didn’t care. And wasn’t it interesting that the NHL cracked down on the very offenses he had decried soon afterward?

“He says what he thinks,” teammate Steve Duchesne said. “You’ve got to know Brett, and when you know him, you know where his honesty comes from.”

Some of it came from watching his parents battle through an acrimonious marriage and bitter divorce, an experience that taught him words can hurt--but can also help heal. He lived with his mother, Joanne, and hardly knew his father until he was grown. He made it in hockey on his own, maturing from an admittedly lazy, pudgy kid into one of the most prolific and charismatic players in the game.

Blessed with strength, a quick, hard shot and strong instincts, Hull has scored 553 goals in 13 seasons, 13th in NHL history and seventh among active players. He averaged 67.8 goals a season from 1989-90 through 1993-94 and scored 86 in 1990-91, joining Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as the only NHL players who have scored 80 or more in a season.

“He’s been great for this city,” Blues’ General Manager Larry Pleau said. “No doubt about it, he’s one of the best goal scorers of all time. There’s a love affair between him and the fans and the city, and there should be.”

That, however, soon may end after 10 years.

Asked by Coach Joel Quenneville to be more diligent defensively and given the same amount of ice time as less talented teammates, Hull can’t decide if he’s being trusted or punished. He is likely to fall short of 30 goals for the first time in a full season--he has 26 goals and 67 points after sitting out 13 games because of a broken hand--yet even he says he’s a better player.

And the Blues, who play the Kings tonight at the Forum in a probable playoff preview, have the NHL’s fifth-best record, despite a roster that, except for Hull, winger Geoff Courtnall, goalie Grant Fuhr and defensemen Duchesne, Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, is largely anonymous.

Hull, 33, misses being the guy, but insists he could have accepted his new role if the Blues had included a no-trade clause in their last three-year, $15-million offer. Pleau refused because he believes such clauses spark jealousy among players, and he halted talks when Hull rejected the deal.

For Hull, who often said he would never marry or have kids but is now married and about to become a father for the third time, the security of a no-trade clause has become priceless.

“To take a few less years and less money, it was kind of a ‘Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ kind of thing,” he said.

Other teams would be happy to scratch his itch with big bucks and promises to build their offenses around him. He must decide if it’s more important to stoke his ego somewhere else or stay with the resurgent Blues for a possible Stanley Cup ride.

“Pressure, that’s what it’s all about. That’s what bugs me about the season now. I play 20 minutes and they don’t care if I score,” he said. “I go out and work hard, play defensive and try to be the guy who does the things the coach wants the young guys to do. There’s no pressure on me to [score], and it bugs me.

“I used to wake up scared to death that I would never score a goal again. Now, it’s like I don’t [care], and that bothers me. . . . Yeah, I want to play more. But I also look at the success of this team and say, ‘No, it doesn’t bother me at all.’ ”

The Blues’ success is among the season’s biggest surprises. Despite a league-wide scoring decline, they have boosted their offense by three goals with three games left and cut their goals-against by 45. They have a solid defense and have schooled their forwards to play a responsible two-way game. For Hull, that means this will be the first time in 10 seasons he won’t lead the Blues in goals. For the Blues, Hull’s willingness to go along with the program means they have a legitimate chance at the Cup.

“He’s changed a lot from my first time here,” said Duchesne, who spent two seasons with the Blues and was traded to Ottawa before being reacquired last August. “His attitude now is unbelievable. He wants to win really bad. His attitude is real positive. He’s definitely our leader here in the locker room. Everybody follows Brett.”

Hull remains one of the NHL’s most feared snipers, appearing out of nowhere to rifle pinpoint shots past startled goalies who thought they had the net covered. If he can’t get free, he draws checkers away from his linemates, which has helped him record 11 assists in his last nine games and helped the Blues produce a league-high 12 double-figure goal scorers.

“You can look at his production and say [it] is not as high as in the past, but there’s more awareness overall in his game,” said Quenneville, who replaced Mike Keenan on Jan. 6, 1997. “From where we sit, we want to see that, and we’re very happy with what he’s doing.”

Pleau, who was hired last June, winces at Hull’s candidness but accepts it as part of the package surrounding a superstar athlete.

“You love some of the things he says, you don’t like some of the things he says. But isn’t that what we all put up with?” Pleau said. “Usually he tells you how he feels. He makes it pretty clear. Sometimes you’d like him to come in here [to his office] and tell you, but that’s life. . . .

“If Brett gets 20 goals and plays the way he did this year, that’s fine. We don’t need 50 goals. We don’t need 40 goals from him.”

Hull has heard that before and isn’t sure how to take it.

“That’s always a double-edged sword,” he said. “I get 50 or 60 goals and the team doesn’t win, and then you get 20 and the team’s winning and they could say, ‘We can do that with anybody.’

“That’s all right. I think I’m playing better now than ever, even though the numbers aren’t what they used to be. But the style of play we have now, you’re not going to have a guy like that. I guess you could, but I don’t think you’re going to get 50, 60 goals playing 20 minutes a game.

“This is kind of a special year. It could be my last in St. Louis and even if it isn’t, we’re going to lose quality people [to free agency]. I’m just going to go with it and see what happens.”

It seemed unlikely a few years ago that he would last this long.

Hull was at odds with Keenan throughout Keenan’s reign as coach and general manager. In two years, Keenan made 29 trades and banished fan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph. He goaded players relentlessly and humiliated youngsters who made mistakes.

He acquired Gretzky from the Kings in March, 1996, to complement Hull, yet he gave them little time to mesh before breaking them up. Alienated by Keenan’s harangues, Gretzky fled to New York as soon as free agency allowed.

“It was the greatest 20 games of my career,” Hull said of Gretzky’s time with the Blues. “He should still be here right now.”

Hull was also incensed that Keenan, in trading popular players and limiting the Blues’ community appearances, was ignoring the club’s traditions. When he tired of the biting criticism and fought back, Keenan threatened to trade him too, and cast him as a troublemaker.

“I didn’t like what he tried to do to the organization,” Hull said. “I got grief because I was doing something I think is good for the team, for trying to help. That’s fine. If people don’t understand what I was trying to do, I know. That’s all that matters. People close to me understand. . . .

“It’s impossible to play hockey in an atmosphere like that. I couldn’t stand coming to the rink. I hated it. People on talk radio here said, ‘I’d love to see Brett stay, but he kind of lost me when he quit playing,’ and I was saying, ‘I didn’t quit.’ I got to the point where I was unable to play, I was so mentally screwed up by the guy. I wasn’t able to do it. I couldn’t function.

“And guys like Scott Pellerin, Craig Conroy, Blair Atcheynum, they couldn’t play under Keenan if they didn’t know if they might be going down [to the minors] after the pregame skate. It was complete instability.”

Quenneville has restored stability and success.

“You can still look at us on paper and go, ‘Holy cow!’ ” Hull said. “You’ve got to give him credit for bringing a system that brings the guys together and having a guy like me, who’s supposedly a hard guy to get along with, like him as much as I do. That I play 20 minutes a game and enjoy it is totally a credit to him.”

Hull likes Quenneville’s team concept, but is frustrated by it. And he loves the Blues so much that he tapped his chest over his heart as he said, “I’ve got a blue note here,” yet he won’t agree to return until he sees if the club re-signs Duchesne, Courtnall and MacInnis, who can also become free agents July 1. If they leave, Hull said, “Holy jeez! It’s like starting again.”

Contradictions and all, Pleau said he wants to keep Hull.

“We’re hoping we come up with something that makes sense and both sides are comfortable with,” Pleau said.

Hull has no idea what he will do.

“I don’t want to play anywhere else, but I will,” he said. “If you don’t show loyalty to me, why should I show loyalty to you? I feel a big part of the city, sure, but [staying] is not up to me. It’s a business now. The people in charge now don’t care what I’ve done in the past and what I’ve given to the community. They care about the St. Louis Blues. . . .

“During negotiations, I tried to be as fair as I could to myself and the Blues and I still want to be, but I have to keep my options open.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Where Brett Hull

Ranks

ACTIVE GOAL-SCORING LEADERS

* Wayne Gretzky, N.Y. Rangers 885

* Mike Gartner, Phoenix 708

* Dino Ciccarelli, Florida 602

* Jari Kurri, Colorado 601

* Mark Messier, Vancouver 597

* Steve Yzerman, Detroit 563

* Brett Hull, St. Louis 553

MOST GOALS, ONE SEASON

* 92--Wayne Gretzky, Edm., 1981-82

* 87--Wayne Gretzky, Edm., 1983-84

* 86--Brett Hull, St. Louis, 1990-91

* 85--Mario Lemieux, Pitt., 1988-89

HIGHEST GOALS-PER-GAME AVERAGE

(Career, players with 200 or more goals)

* .823--Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh, 613 goals in 745 games, 1984-85 through 1996-97.

* .767--Cy Denneny, Ottawa and Boston, 250 goals in 326 games from 1917-18 through 1928-29.

* .762--Mike Bossy, N.Y. Islanders, 573 goals in 752 games from 1977-78 through 1986-87.

* .693--Brett Hull, Calgary and St. Louis, 553 goals in 798 games from 1986-87. Still active.

* .649--Teemu Selanne, Winnipeg and Mighty Ducks, 266 goals in 410 games from 1992-93. Still active.

* .625--Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton, Kings, St. Louis, N.Y. Rangers, 885 goals in 1,416 games played from 1979-80. Still active.