Throughout the St Louis Blues' 59 seasons, there have been many great players to wear the Blue Note sweater, and there happens to be a certain pair that stands above everyone else. Center Bernie Federko and RW Brett Hull both hold various franchise records for the Blues, but if you were to put the two of them in a comparison, who is the better legend? Hull has the advantage in a pair of major offensive categories (goals, points), while Federko leads the franchise's 59-year history in games played, assists, and points, which is arguably the better-paid-attention-to stat. Let's really break things down to determine who's the better Blues legend, depending on their career numbers and, more importantly, how long they stayed with St Louis.
Bernie Federko: 927 games played, 352 goals and 721 assists (1073 pts from 1976-1989)
Federko was the Blues' first-round choice in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft, coming off the board at number-7 overall, and he'd enjoy a fantastic career with St Louis, playing all but one of his 14 NHL seasons in the Gateway City, spending the last season in 1988/89 in Detroit. During his Blues career, Federko put up franchise records for goals and points that still stand today, yet never won the Stanley Cup or any major player hardware like Hull. Federko was originally from the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League and is a native of Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. One other statistic Federko has the advantage over Hull on is career penalty minutes, with 487 compared to Hull's 425. That's about it for the reasons why Federko could be the better pick over Hull; however, as the so-called "Golden Brett" (Hull is the son of Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull, nicknamed the "Golden Jet" outclasses him in almost every major category and in the hardware department as well.)
Brett Hull: 744 games played, 527 goals and 409 assists (936 points from 1986-2006)
We should probably get the obvious out of the way: Brett Hull did spend a considerable amount of combined time with other teams, unlike Federko. And even won Cups with them, winning the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in that infamous 1999 Finals series against the Sabres and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings, who were still in their dominance that began in the mid 1990s. But Hull did make 3 consecutive All-Star Game appearances as a member of the Blues, notably in 1990, 1991, and 1992, where he scored an astonishing number of goals in each of those campaigns, eclipsing 70 or more in a season those 3 times, a gargantuan feat. His best was the middle season, 1991, where he potted 86 goals and 45 assists in just 78 games, making his 2nd straight ASG appearance by a country mile. Going back to franchise records, Hull may have spent time with the likes of the Red Wings, Stars, Flames and even the relatively new at the time Phoenix Coyotes, but he's still the Blues' all-time leader in pure goals, whether they be even-strength efforts or power play tallies. Hull also holds the franchise record for the most hat tricks, with 27 during his 11-year tenure in St Louis, well ahead of 2nd place Bernie Federko, who managed 11.
The winner is...
This comparison may have been a rather interesting one at first glance, but a closer, more detailed look reveals that this discussion isn't really close. Hull vastly outclasses his fellow legend, Federko in not just in statistical ways, but also in longevity, playing considerably longer than Federko with 19 years spent in the league, albeit with five different teams to Federko's two. They're certainly both Blues legends, but the "Golden Brett" reigns supreme in this head-to-head matchup between two players from the 70s and 80s.
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