Hossa’s legacy
In leaving the NHL, Marian Hossa is leaving something bigger behind. He has amassed 525 goals and 609 assists for a total of 1134 points in 1309 games. Not everyone agrees, but I think he is a Hall Of Famer.
500 goals? 100 points? 3 Stanley Cups? This is, without a doubt, HOF level. He may be lacking in individual rewards, but it would be really dumb for Hossa to be snubbed. Please don’t snub Hossa.
Additionally, depending on how you want to count it, Hossa is either the best, second best, or third best Slovak of all time. Stan Mikita was born in Slovakia but moved away at an early age. He shouldn’t really be in the conversation.
Peter Stastny is pure Slovak, but he played 8 games for Canada as a protest against the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. Marian Hossa, however, has only played for Slovakia, nationally. Well, okay, he played for Team Europe, but that doesn’t count.
Hossa is the best Slovak of all time who has only played for Slovakia. In a country like Slovakia, guys like him are really beneficial. People like him help to really popularize hockey.
Slovakia is by no means foreign to hockey. They have won the IIHF World Championship before. However, they are certainly not at the same level as Sweden, Finland or even the Czech Republic. Having a superstar like Hossa to represent your country is definitely a good thing for Slovak hockey.
Outside of international play, he has done a lot for a lot of teams. He went to the conference finals with the Sens, he led a struggling Thrashers team to the playoffs and he accompanied the Penguins and Red Wings to Stanley Cup Finals. Even after he failed to achieve his goal the first 2 times, he came right back the next year.
He was a fantastic addition to the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the perfect compliment to an already talented offensive core, and he helped them to win 3 Stanley Cups.
Regardless of whether you cheered for him or against him at some point, Marian Hossa is worth remembering.
Is Hossa’s story particularly inspiring? Well, not exactly. He interests me for different reasons. He has had an impressive career, becoming a franchise player on multiple teams.
From season to season to season, he never failed to impress. For his many accomplishments, Hossa’s career will be remembered for years to come.