by ERIC DUHATSCHEK , The Globe and Mail

That year, the Calgary Flames' co-ordinator of scouting - a jovial, bulky man named Ian McKenzie - was wading through the tables in the eating area, when he fell into a chat with a familiar scribbler.

"I can't believe no one's taken Brett Hull yet," began McKenzie, who went onto to praise Hull's upside, most of which centred on one skill: the ability to score. This was an era when the Edmonton Oilers were revolutionizing the NHL by scoring 400-plus goals a season and a precocious talent named Wayne Gretzky was setting records that would never be challenged.

That year, playing on a more modest stage (the Penticton Knights of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League), Hull had scored a mere 105 goals as a 19-year-old.

The 1984 draft was one of the most anticipated in history, with Mario Lemieux available at the top, a potential franchise player heading more or less against his wishes to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames had already had a good day, choosing Gary Roberts and Paul Ranheim in Rounds 1 and 2 and both would go on to play more than 1,000 NHL games.

But McKenzie wanted more - and soon after the break, got it. With their sixth-round pick, 117th overall, the Flames selected Hull, son of the legendary Golden Jet, one of the most dynamic players ever. The rest as they say is history - mostly St. Louis Blues history. In Hull's second pro season, after he'd scored 50 goals in the minors and showed signs of developing into a deadly NHL sniper, the Flames traded him to the Blues for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley.

In the end, Hull scored 527 of his 741 career goals for the Blues.

Set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame on Monday, the question was put to Hull: With all of Calgary's depth on the right side in those days, might things have turned out differently if he hadn't been flipped to St. Louis so early in his professional career?

"I think it's probably very possible," answered Hull. "I've said for years I could never figure out why Calgary ever drafted me. When I got there, I think they had eight or nine right wingers already, including Lanny McDonald, Joey Mullen, Hakan Loob. These guys were premiere players. It's not like they were extremely late in their careers either.

"Yeah, if (GM) Ron Caron from St. Louis hadn't called and possibly made that trade, I could have fallen through the cracks."

Hull is one of four players who will enter the Hall as the class of 2009. The others: His fellow 1984 long-shot, Luc Robitaille, the 171st player chosen that year by the Los Angeles Kings; plus two blue-chippers, Steve Yzerman (fourth overall, 1983) and Brian Leetch (ninth overall, 1986).

Hull was a clear work in progress when he was drafted by Calgary, but improved his skating dramatically in two years of playing for the University of Minnesota (Duluth), complementing his other qualities - great innate Hockey sense, and a brilliant shot that he could get off almost anywhere at any time.

That quick release, along with his stealth ability to materialize at the right place at the right time, turned Hull into that rarely seen bird: the natural goal scorer. In a three-year span, from 1989 to 1991, Hull led the league in goals; his 86 goals in 78 games in 1990-91 is the highest total recorded by any player not named Gretzky in league history.

Hull is not sure, given the evolution of goaltenders and their equipment, if anyone might approach those numbers again - or even if goal scoring, as a craft, can be taught. Mostly, he believes it is intrinsic - you either have it or you don't.

"You just watch (Alex) Ovechkin, he reminds me - I don't want to say he reminds me of me - but he goes to all the places that I used to go," said Hull. "It's so fun to watch him."

McKenzie, who also found Theo Fleury for the Flames in the depths of the entry draft, remembers Hull's draft day not just because it turned out to be the best in Calgary history. It was also the only time in his scouting career he was ever quoted in Sports Illustrated .

"They called and asked me, 'Did you draft Brett Hull because of his famous name, because he was Bobby Hull's son?' " recalled McKenzie. "I said, 'no, we drafted him because he scored 105 goals in one year.' "

Sometimes, scouting really is as basic as that.

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