Bobby Hull

This week in hockey history - 1972 - Bobby Hull signed a 10-year hockey contract for $2,500,000, as he became a player and coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association.

Bobby Hull was fittingly named the World Hockey Association's first Most Valuable Player following the upstart league's first season in 1972-73. The signing of the NHL's most visible superstar by the Winnipeg Jets in June of 1972 ensured the survival of the fledging WHA. Although he had to sit out Winnipeg's first 14 games because of court action, Hull cranked things up once he was cleared and hit the ice, scoring 51 goals and 52 assists. At the conclusion of the WHA's first season, Bobby was awarded the Gary L. Davidson Trophy.
The engraved metal plaque reads "Gary L. Davidson Trophy awarded to Robert M. Hull for being selected Most Valuable Player in the World Hockey Association 1972-73".