Brett Hull Reveals Mike Keenan’s Decision That Ruined A Special Moment For NHL Legend

Brett Hull in action for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2001-02 season© Getty via AFP

Brett Hull has never been shy about his complicated relationship with former St. Louis Blues coach Mike Keenan. But in a recent episode of the Ice Guardians podcast, Hull went further than before, singling out one decision that crossed a line most coaches wouldn't even approach. Dale Hawerchuk was winding down his career in St. Louis during the 1995-96 season. When the Blues travelled to Buffalo, his elderly grandmother, in her 90s, came to the arena to watch him play what was likely her final chance to see him on the ice. Keenan scratched him anyway.

Keenan Scratched Hawerchuk Ahead of His Grandmother's Last Game

Hull did not mince words on the podcast. “The worst story in hockey is Dale Hawerchuk. Near the end of his career, he's going to Buffalo for the last time. His grandmother is very old – 90-some years old. For the last time, she comes to the game and Keenan scratched Dale Hawerchuk. Of all the things he did, that was, to me, the worst thing he ever did,” Hull said.

Hawerchuk only suited up for 66 games during his lone season in St. Louis. He was already past his prime, and everyone in the locker room knew it. A trip back to Buffalo was never going to be just another road game for him. Keenan knew the situation. He scratched him regardless.

Hull did not stop there. When he confronted Keenan after the decision, the coach responded by stripping him of the captaincy the next day. “He took my ‘C' away the next morning because I let him have it,” Hull said. It was a move that showed Keenan was willing to punish anyone who pushed back, even his own franchise scorer.

Jamal Mayers Was So Nervous He Limited Family Tickets to Two

Former Blues forward Jamal Mayers recalled the same culture of fear in a separate account on the same podcast. Players visiting their hometowns were quietly warned not to request too many tickets, because Keenan would find out and use it as a reason to scratch them.

Mayers, who grew up in Toronto, took the warning seriously. “If you're from Toronto, don't get a bunch of tickets because if [Mike] Keenan finds out, he's gonna scratch you. So, I got a ticket only for my brother – my parents didn't go – and my grandmother, so my brother and my grandmother came to the game because I was all nervous that he'd find out,” Mayers said.

Two tickets. That was all he felt safe requesting. His parents sat the game out because the fear of being benched was real enough to change his decision.

That kind of atmosphere does not happen by accident. Keenan built it deliberately, and both Hull and Mayers experienced it firsthand.