Marian Hossa’s 5 Greatest Moments
Last night, in Ottawa where it all started, Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa became the 80th player in NHL history to reach 1000 points. It was his 1100th game.
It was the latest great moment in a career full of them that will likely cement Marian Hossa’s place in the hockey Hall of Fame once his playing days are over.
The big Slovak has had quite a career and in honor of his milestone night, I thought we’d take a look back at some of Hossa’s greatest moments.
5. First NHL Goal – December 9th, 1998
Hossa scored his first NHL goal with the Ottawa Senators in a 6-5 loss to the Florida Panthers. What’s more, he added two assists and a +3 in just over 11 minutes of action, an early indication of the two-way force he would become.
4. Marian Hossa Hits the Century Mark – April 7th, 2007
In his second season with the Atlanta Thrashers, Marian Hossa finished 6th in the NHL’s scoring race.
He went into the last game of the season sitting at 98 points. With the Thrashers down 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning late in the second period, Hossa assisted on both Thrasher goals, sending the game to a shootout (which Atlanta won) and giving him 100 points for the season.
It was the first and only time he hit the century mark.
3. Overtime winner – April 24th, 2010
It’s easy to forget that the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks were down 2-1 in their first round series against the Nashville Predators in 2010.
With the series tied at two and Marian Hossa in the penalty box for a boarding major, game five went to overtime. About four minutes into the extra frame, Hossa exited the penalty box and promptly made up for his infraction by scoring the game winner, effectively putting the Hawks on the path to victory. In the series-clinching game six, he added three assists.
2. International Superstar – 2006 Winter Olympics
If there were people in hockey world who doubted how good Marian Hossa was, the 2006 Olympic Winter Games served as a platform for him to prove it.
He led Slovakia to a perfect 5-0 record in the preliminary round before falling to the Czech Republic in the first round of the knockout stage.
Still, he was one of the best players at the tournament finishing 4th with 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 6 games and adding a +9 rating, cementing his place among the best two-way players in the world.
1. Stanley Cup Champion – June 9th, 2010
For two consecutive seasons, Marian Hossa was on the losing side of the Stanley Cup Final. First, his Penguins were beaten by the Detroit Red Wings. Then, after signing with those same Red Wings as a free agent the following season, those same Penguins won it all.
People began joking about a “Hossa curse”.
In 2010, Hossa finally achieved his goal with the Chicago Blackhawks, while at the same time helping the team erase an NHL-record 49-year streak of futility.