Montreal Canadiens fans could have seen a very different team in the 2000s if Brett Hull had decided to sign with them instead of the Detroit Red Wings. After his time with the Dallas Stars, Hull was reportedly close to joining Montreal, but ultimately chose Detroit, where he would go on to win another Stanley Cup.
Hull was already one of the NHL's best goal scorers by that point in his career. He had won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999 and was still producing offensively when he became a free agent in 2001. For Montreal, getting a player like Hull could have been a big addition, especially with the team looking for ways to get back to being a contender.
Hull chose the Red Wings over the Canadiens
Instead, Hull joined a Detroit team that was already loaded with talent. With players like Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov on the roster, the Red Wings didn't need much help, but adding a goal scorer like Hull certainly didn't hurt. He ended up winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002, giving him another championship before the end of his career.
For the Canadiens, though, it leaves an interesting what-if. Montreal had some difficult years during the early 2000s, and having Hull in the lineup could have given the team a much-needed boost offensively. He was the kind of player who could change a game with one shot, and having that kind of scoring threat would have been valuable for a team that struggled to find consistency.
Hull speaks on almost joining the Canadiens
Hull spoke on this recently on the Gloves Off: The Enforcer Code podcast with Darren McCarthy and Joey Kocur, and it seemed to be a lot closer to happening than most think. And that’s all thanks to Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau.
"“I was out with my wife for lunch one day, and my phone rang, and I saw it was a Montreal number. It was Jean Beliveau, my dad’s favourite player. I’m outside the restaurant, and I’m a pacer when I talk on the phone. So I’m walking up and down the sidewalk, and I can just imagine the people going, ‘What is this guy doing?’ And so, for 45 minutes I talked with Jean Beliveau, and he was selling me on the Montreal Canadiens.”Brett Hull
“I’m like, Montreal Canadiens? Are you kidding? It’s iconic, like playing for the [New York] Yankees. I hung up, and I said, ‘You know, give me a couple of days to think about it.’ And I talked to my wife, and we were out to dinner, and we were talking, and she goes, ‘I think it’d be real cool. I could learn French, and it’s a beautiful city and the history, and you playing for the Montreal Canadiens would be incredible.’ It certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“I was actually reaching for my phone to call the Canadiens. And my phone rang right as I was reaching for it,” Hull said. “And I go, ‘Oh, honey, it’s [Chelios].’ I picked it up, and Chelly goes, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ I go, ‘Good.’ He goes, ‘You want to come play for the Red Wings?’ And I go, ‘Yes.’ It was just that simple.”"
Of course, signing Hull wouldn't have automatically made Montreal a Stanley Cup contender. There were other issues with the roster that needed to be addressed, and one player can only do so much. Still, having a proven goal scorer like Hull could have changed how those seasons played out, especially if the Canadiens had been able to build around him.
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