Hull was born August 9, 1964, in Belleville, Ontario. His father, Bobby, was a long-time professional hockey player in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA). His mother, Joanne (McKay), was an American professional figure skater and taught him how to skate. He has three brothers: Bobby Jr., Blake and Bart, and a younger sister: Michelle.

As a dual Canadian and American citizen, Hull was eligible to play for either country internationally. While playing at UMD, he was passed over by officials with Team Canada when they selected their roster for the 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships. However, the American national team invited him to join their squad. Hull accepted and led the team in scoring with 7 goals and 11 points for the sixth place Americans. Hull later said the faith shown in him by American officials gave him the confidence to excel in his career. He played with Team USA for the rest of his career, and at the 1986 Calgary Cup tournament, played a pivotal role in a 5-3 upset of Canada by the Americans. Following the game, he said "I don't feel more like an American than a Canadian. I just want to play."  Hull tied Mike Modano for the American scoring lead at the 1991 Canada Cup with nine points. He led the Americans into the tournament final against Canada, but was held pointless in the decisive game as Canada won the tournament with a 4-2 game. Canadian fans turned on Hull at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. In the semifinal against Russia, fans in Ottawa loudly booed Hull and chanted "traitor" towards him as he scored two goals to lead the United States to the final against Canada. In the deciding game of the best-of-three final, Hull scored a key goal as the Americans turned a 2-1 deficit with five minutes to play into a 5-2 victory and captured the championship. Hull led all players with 11 points and was a tournament all-star at forward.  Making his Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games, Hull scored two goals in four games. The Americans were quickly eliminated from the tournament and were criticized for their lack of desire and leadership. The team was further embarrassed when it was discovered some members had trashed their hotel room following their elimination. Hull was initially blamed as being a culprit. He angrily denied the accusation and claimed it was an invention of Canadian media upset that he was playing for the United States. Hull, Modano and John LeClair formed the American's top line for the 2002 Olympics. The trio were dominant throughout most of the tournament, leading Team USA to the gold medal game against Canada. Hull and LeClair finished second and third in overall scoring, respectively; however they were held pointless against Team Canada in the final. Hull and the Americans settled for the silver medal following a 5-2 defeat.  Team USA named Hull an alternate captain of its veteran-laden team for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. However, he was benched by head coach Ron Wilson following two indifferent games in which he did not register a point and never returned to the active lineup. Answer this question using a quote from the following article:

What lead to his international career ?
passed over by officials with Team Canada when they selected their roster for the 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships. However, the American national team invited him to join