Chicago Blackhawks: Marian Hossa Retirement Is A Huge Loss
After learning about serious illness Marian Hossa had been fighting through, the Chicago Blackhawks and Hossa announce that Hossa will no longer play.
Marian Hossa, a Hall of Fame-bound player, one of the best two-way forwards to ever play the game, and lasting Chicago Blackhawks player, is done playing hockey.
This should be a huge shock not only to Chicago Blackhawks fans but fans across the NHL.
Hossa was instrumental in bringing the Blackhawks three Stanley Cups.
And he may represent the greatest free agent signing in Chicago sports history.
He certainly represents the best free agent in the history of the Blackhawks.
His decision, after missing on two straight Stanley Cup Finals (alternating losing teams between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings) to come to Chicago was a big one.
It was a young franchise, freshly removed from having been voted Sports Illustrated’s worst franchise in sports.
And together with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, Hossa made us all forget that. He helped turn the Chicago Blackhawks into the evil empire, one of the best in the cap era.
Hell, one of the best teams in any era.
Hossa’s Legacy
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Marian Hossa will be remembered for a lot of things.
Being the greatest player to never win a Selke (missing out after the award became solely about centers).
Being a mentor to that young crop of Blackhawks, ushering in a new definition of dynasty and showing what true dominance looks like in the NHL.
Fighting through a serious health issue and still putting up a 45-point year, including 26 goals, at age 38 is just another piece of an already astounding career.
Marian Hossa was also my (and many Chicago fans’) first favorite player in the NHL.
He was the introduction to the game, seeing #81 skate in that 2010 Cup run, putting up 15 points.
That’s another thing. Hossa remained a first-line player, a constant on Jonathan Toews’s wing, until this year.
And now that we know what he was dealing with, it seems like he still could’ve been.
Hossa’s career may now be full of later-career “could have been’s”. The Chicago Blackhawks were not calling for his retirement or his departure by any means.
And Blackhawks fans in the know knew that Hossa still had it. He was not the core player being involved in trade talks this summer.
Marian Hossa should go down as a few things. One is as one of the greatest 100 players of all-time. He was always sound at both ends of the ice. His possession numbers reflect that.
And Hossa was over a point-per-game pace four seasons throughout his career, ending on a .87 pace. Better than even the Sedin twins, the same career pace as Jonathan Toews (through 16-17).
Hawks fans lovingly bestowed the nickname “demigod” upon Hossa. And it took an exterior force, an outside motivator, to bring the demigod down.
What Happens With the Blackhawks Now?
Marian Hossa was brought down by a skin condition it is medically recommended not to play through. That’s what was made clear in the press release.
It also means that the Chicago Blackhawks may now move Hossa to LTIR, saving 5.275 million over the next four years.
But the Blackhawks may only do that the night before the regular season opener.
That means that Hossa’s contract is still on the books for the summer.
The Blackhawks may be looking to move that contract, but this is unlike Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract, which ended a similar way. This one lasts for four more years.
The team taking on the contract has to bet on being reliant upon that contract to reach the cap floor for four years. There shouldn’t be one of those in the NHL.
Still, Hossa has made it somewhat clear he will ride LTIR into the dawn. This serves effectively as an unofficial retirement.
It now becomes the Blackhawks priority to move the contract and use the cap space elsewhere. This also, importantly, means that the Blackhawks shouldn’t be trading Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Next: Brent Seabrook on Blackhawks' Trade Block
This is bittersweet news for Blackhawks fans. Not only is Hossa, a name that may someday be in the rafters in the United Center, done, but his production is gone.
26 goals is hard to replace. There may be no one who could do more damage on both ends of the ice at the same time than a healthy Marian Hossa.
This may not be the official end of Hossa’s career (he only ruled out 17-18) but it sure feels like it.