Last summer, when the Chicago Blackhawks shocked the hockey world by announcing a long-term contract with superstar forward Marian Hossa, the assumption in Chicago was that he was the missing link between the youngest team in the league and the Stanley Cup.
He had been to two consecutive Finals on two different teams (Pittsburgh and Detroit) but was now committing the rest of his career to the city of Chicago.
When he signed the contract, he had played 775 NHL games and scored 719 points (339 goals, 380 assists—0.93 points/game). His 775 points (including last year and the beginning of 2010-11 in Chicago) ranks 12th among all active skaters.
However, what fans didn’t realize is truly how special Hossa is as a player.
Maybe it was because he had spent nearly his entire career in the Eastern Conference (seven years in Ottawa, two-plus in Atlanta, part of one in Pittsburgh and one in Detroit). Perhaps it’s because Chicago had taken a decade-long break from caring about hockey until two years ago. Or maybe it’s because his name isn’t Crosby or Ovechkin. But fans in Chicago weren’t aware of jus ...
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Article written by TAB BAMFORD
Marian Hossa Exploding for the Chicago Blackhawks
October 12th, 2010 by TAB BAMFORD Leave a reply »
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