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Jude Hull Jude Hull is committed to paying his dues with the Bozeman Icedogs of the American West Hockey League. So far the season has been a struggle for the team, but as Brett Hull said, "fighting through adversity makes you mentally tougher, and that's a crucial ingredient if you want to be a champion." dad are," Harrison says. "It's not that he's not proud to be Brett's son, but he wants to make his own mark, for himself, based upon what he does and who HE is." The young man's humility has left a big impression on Harrison who says it's a more mature perspective than even some NHL players have. Most poignantly, it's provided a big lesson to Hull's teammates. "In competitive hockey," Harrison says, "you don't ride someone else's reputation. You earn your ice time." Jude admires everything his father and grandfather accomplished, but when he was young, while Brett was on the road, he says his anchor was his mom. He is a product of youth development programs in the state where his dad first registered an impact on American hockey — as a standout with the University of MinnesotaDuluth bulldogs. An admitted tomboy, Alison grew up playing pond hockey in Duluth with her brother and neighborhood kids. Eventually, she became a goalie. Even today, Jude and Alison love suiting up together on Sunday nights for pick-up games. "My mom is the first one I usually call after an Icedogs game. She tells me that no matter what happens never let yourself get down. She reminds me that playing is a privilege—that the point is to remember the reasons why you love it so much." At St. Paul Academy, a prep school in the Twin Cities, Hull amassed a respectable .856 save percentage his junior and senior years against tough opponents, including teams with D-I recruits and NHL draftees. After high school where he had decent grades, he won a tryout with the NAHL's Odessa Jackalopes, but the coaches concluded he needed a bit more seasoning. Over the years, more than 50 players have used the Icedogs as a springboard 32 March. 2013 toward college. In 2011, Icedogs rivals the Helena Bighorns claimed the national Tier III championship. After a tough practice, Jude shows up dripping wet to an interview. Soon, he'll head to a session of dryland and hit the weight room to do strength work. He's carrying a soft smile and when he's reminded of the rising tally of shots, the grin beams wider. "When Coach got a hold of me and asked if I'd come play for him in Montana, I had no idea what to expect," he says. "It's been an interesting year. I love Bozeman." H H H Parents, Brett Hull says, shouldn't try to coddle their kids or protect them from adversity. He learned more, he says, by having to negotiate difficulty — losing streaks, conflicts with coaches and playing through aches and pains — than the periods when extra effort wasn't required. It also helped him savor winning more. "I'm a firm believer in the value of confronting challenges you are forced to creatively overcome," Brett explains. "Sure, there are great players who never seem to go through adversity. Well, good for them. But I've seen a lot of very talented young prospects in Juniors and college that never could catch on to the pro game. One of the reasons is they didn't know how to dig deep and elevate their performance." He adds, "Players who quote, unquote 'pay their dues' learn how to fight through rough patches. It makes you mentally tougher, and that's a crucial ingredient if you want to be a champion." He acknowledges it's often easier said than done. H H H While Brett Hull doesn't claim to possess special wisdom about being a superior USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM goaltender — during his days with the Dallas Stars one of Jude's favorite players was Ed Belfour — he has suggested that Jude think about his job from the perspective of a shooter. "What I say today is what I've always told him: Play YOUR position. Try to master it. The only thing you can control is how YOU play." With 741 career goals (third highest in NHL history) and 1,391 points accumulated over 1,269 games, Jude says his dad is loaded with insight that he's incorporated into his game. "T me, the hardest goals to score were o always against goalies that had solid fundamentals," Brett says. "They didn't have to be flashy. They were great on their ankles and understood depth, angles and position. The one thing I've found to be interesting is that a goalie has to, ironically, be like a goal scorer who plays with great anticipation." For his part, Harrison has no doubt that the kind of grit and improvement Hull and Slavik have demonstrated this season will serve them well in seasons ahead. "The avenue they're on is in the right direction. They're doing all the right things — taking care of themselves off the ice, paying attention to their conditioning, working hard in practice and aspiring to be role models," Harrison says. "How far will they go? If they keep improving as they have, I think they both have a shot at making a college team." Hull's mom says he's already had a season he'll never forget and his passion for the game — even if he's only playing pickup — hasn't soured; it's grown. "I've told Jude that he's a late bloomer, just like his dad was," Alison says. "The experience he's getting now is going to pay off." Brett Hull notes that this kind of character building has implications far away from the ice rink. Knowing how to maintain composure, persevering when things get tough, emphasizing positives over negatives are lessons people spend their whole lives trying to learn. "I'm proud of my son for trying to be that kind of person," he said. That's not just high praise coming from a hockey dad; it's a heartfelt reflection from an icon who himself learned to grasp the bigger picture. N Minnesota native Todd Wilkinson, who lives in Bozeman, Mont., is author of the new book "Last Stand: Ted Turner's Quest to Save a Troubled Planet." Photo By Karl Neumann