Chris Jericho paid tribute to a controversial former NHL star on WrestleDream on Sunday, October 1.
Jericho teamed up with Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi to face Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita, and Sammy Guevara in The Don Callis Family and the babyface trio was named The Golden Jets for the match.
With a name similar to The Golden Lovers, the tag team of Omega and Ibushi, Jericho revealed that The Golden Jets is a tribute to Bobby Hull, an ice hockey player nicknamed The Golden Jet who played for the Winnipeg Jets from from 1972 to 1979.
“The Golden Jets are obviously a take on the Golden Lovers but the Golden Jet is also Bobby Hull, the greatest Winnipeg Jet of all time. Of course, we’re from Winnipeg,” Jerico said during the post-WrestleDream media scrum.
Bobby Hull became a controversial figure after retiring from ice hockey following an interview with the Moscow Times in 1998 in which he allegedly said that Adolf Hitler “had good ideas” and that the black population in the United States was growing rapidly.
“Hitler for example, had some good ideas. Hull was quoted as saying. When asked if he was a racist, Hull also allegedly said: “I don’t care. I’m not running for any political office.”
Hull later denied that he had praised Hitler in the Moscow Times and he threatened to sue the newspaper and The Toronto Sun, but nothing came of the threat.
Hull said later in 1998: “I am deeply offended by the false statements attributed to me about Adolf Hitler and the black community in the United States. In my opinion, Adolf Hitler was the most evil and despicable man who ever lived and up to no good or positive that can be said about a bad person. …I deeply regret any harm or insult caused by this sad situation…”
Hull’s own daughter Michelle contradicted him, however, saying after she saw the story in the Moscow Times, “My first thought was, ‘That looks like him.'”
In addition to his alleged pro-Nazi and racist remarks, Hull has been accused of domestic assault by two of his ex-wives. He was also arrested for assaulting a police officer. Hull died earlier this year.
H/T to LA Weather & New York Times