Chicago Blackhawks: Saying Goodbye to Marian Hossa

After eight seasons of helping to make the Chicago Blackhawks a dynasty and one of the best teams in the NHL, Marian Hossa is hanging up the skates. How do you say goodbye to a hockey legend?

Marian Hossa was one of my favorite players. He was the first jersey I ever owned, the reason I love defensive forwards as much as I do, and one of the reasons the Chicago Blackhawks won three Cups in six seasons. His game was multifaceted and he helped create one of the best two-way lines in hockey in the 2010’s.

Even after joining the Blackhawks in his thirties, Hossa’s legacy will last eternal. When the statue is built of their Stanley Cup core, it would be a mistake to leave him out. His jersey deserves to be lifted to the rafters. He’s one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time and should be an (eventual) Hall of Famer.

So, how do you say goodbye to a legend? Let’s look at his legacy in his later years, from an emotional, and a logical, perspective.

Emotional

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The Chicago Blackhawks won three Cups with Hossa. He was a massive part of those Cups, both from a points perspective and from the locker room. Hossa was the missing piece, the guy who had playoff experience (he went to two straight Finals before his signing with the Blackhawks).

There were set veterans already – Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Brian Campbell were great veteran presences already – but Hossa was the outside force. His signing in Chicago was a big deal, especially for a Hawks team that was still rebuilding its image.

Hossa is perhaps the greatest free agent signing in Chicago sports history. He came in at the right time, did the right things, built the right relationships, and became a face of the dynastic Blackhawks. His chemistry with Jonathan Toews propelled Toews to his greatest peaks, and he was a genuine personality if not one recognized nationally.

Remembering Hossa won’t be hard

There are a few moments that Hossa will be remembered for in Chicago. When hit 1100 points. When he was the first to receive the Cup from Toews. But none are perhaps as precious as when his daughter honked his nose at the ceremony recognizing goal number 500.

Hossa will still be a “part” of the Blackhawks roster for the next three years because he can’t retire due to cap consequences, but he should be destined for a front office setup if he wants one. Keeping him around the team (in any capacity) would be wise, especially if the Blackhawks begin rebuilding.

He’s going to be missed on the ice, especially by the players who played with him. Here are some of the quotes about Hossa from his linemates.

“He became a good friend over the years”, Patrick Sharp told the Chicago Sun-Times when it was revealed he’d miss all of the 2017-18 season. “He’s going to be missed, definitely, on the ice in Chicago. But for guys like me, he’s going to be missed in the locker room as well.”

Toews added “it’s too soon. You saw what he was doing out there on the ice. It doesn’t say much, but in my opinion, he was by far the best player in the playoff series against Nashville.”

Logical

The fact that the Blackhawks went from the Western Conference Final to winning the Stanley Cup the year that Hossa arrived in Chicago is not a coincidence. What Hossa did his first year with the Chicago Blackhawks is just a part of his Hall of Fame case.

He scored just three goals (all of them even strength, one game-winning) in the Cup run, but collected 12 assists and 26 takeaways. That’s the kind of player Hossa was – he was far better off the scoreboard than on, even when he was scoring 100 points in Atlanta.

Over the course of his Chicago career, he scored 415 points in 534 games. He played an average of 18:28 per game and scored an average of 64 points per 82 game season. During the lockout-shortened season, he was a huge part of the Blackhawks’ 36-7-5 record, scoring 31 points in 40 games.

His impact on others

The three Cup core, including Sharp, Toews, Keith, Seabrook, Patrick Kane, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, collected 323 assists on Hossa’s goals. He, in turn, collected 144 assists on theirs. They helped make each other great, and Hossa helped with the careers of various other Chicago Blackhawks, including Andrew Shaw, Artemi Panarin, and Bryan Bickell.

During the three Cup runs in Chicago, Hossa collected 48 points in 67 games. He got better with every trip to lifting the Cup.

Even from a numbers standpoint, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Marian Hossa. 24% of Toews’s goals with Hossa on the roster were assisted by number 81. 22% of Keith’s, 22% (and 26% of assists) of Sharp’s, and 27% of Brandon Saad’s were helped created by him.

Hossa developed undeniable chemistry with everybody on the Blackhawks’ roster, and the numbers prove it.

In Conclusion

It’s not everyday that one of your favorite players retire. Hossa joins a solid list so far – the Sedin Twins are done, as are Radim Vrbata and Mike Fisher – but he was in a class all his own. While his contract will surely go on – he’s unable to play, and will be found to be so, so “official” retirement is up to him (and therefore unlikely) – his time with the Blackhawks is now surely over.

This is a sad year for the Chicago Blackhawks. Hossa’s retirement announcement had been coming down the pipeline since August when Hossa announced that he could no longer play because of medical necessity, but it’s still a loss for the team. Plus, it comes on the heels of Sharp’s departure from the NHL.

Next: Evaluating Hossa's Hall of Fame Case

It only makes sense that teammates and part-time linemates who shared 84 points over the seasons – 24% of Sharp’s points in a Blackhawks uniform, and 20% of Hossa’s – would retire in the same year. They helped create a dynasty together, and now they finish their careers at the same time.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Saying Goodbye To Marian Hossa

By Shepard Price | May 21, 2018