14 Subjectively Amazing Facts About... Marian Hossa

On a team that has it's fair share of marquee players, Marian Hossa is a bit of an oddity. Odd in that out of everyone on the Blackhawks, he has the most Stanley Cup experience. On a team overflowing in talent in pretty much every aspect of the game and on every line, Hossa has one amazing feat that goes relatively unnoticed; he has appeared in more Stanley Cup Finals in the last six years than anyone but Don Cherry and Ron MacLean.

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Sure, on a team that has perennial all-stars Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith hogging most of the media attention it's easy to forget that Hossa kind of takes his place along players like Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and Brian Bickell. But he's the ultimate 'been-there/done-that' player when it comes to the Stanley Cup, playing in more Finals Series than anyone since the days of the Oilers Dynasty, when most of that nucleus missed only two Finals in the decade, allowing the Flames and the Canadiens to take home the Glory. But none of them played on three different teams to get there. In fact, since Marian joined the NHL in 98-99 he has missed the post-season only twice in his career, both times with the Atlanta Thrashers.   Click below to find out some other interesting facts about Chicago's other star.



Other Somewhat Interesting Facts about Marian Hossa... 

When I think 'stretchered off' i think... Marian Hossa

1) While a member of the WHL Portland Winterhawks, he helped lead the team to the WHL President's Cup. In the third period of the championship game of the Memorial Cup, a knee on knee collision took him out of the game which was to become a bit of a theme through his playing career. After the overtime he came out for the presentation on a chair and was pushed around on the ice by his teammates in celebration.

2) He was a runner-up to Chris Drury as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1998-99, despite missing two months due to knee surgery because of his Memorial Cup injury.

3) While in his 2nd year as a member of the Ottawa Senators, he nearly ended the career of Toronto Maple Leaf Brian Berard after the follow through of an attempted shot hit Berard in the face, cutting open his right eye. The doctors were able to save it during surgery but the damage was considered career ending. A concerned Hossa visited Berard in the hospital the next day, where Berard accepted his apology because that is what hockey players do. Berard would later return to the NHL after 7 operations on his eye and specially fitted contact lens, among other improvements.

Brian Berard today.

4)Was part of the deal that sent a manslaughter-convicted Dany Heatly to Ottawa in exchange for Marian Hossa who had just signed a 3yr $18 million contract. That deal ended well for all parties concerned except Edmonton.

5)Will forever hold the record for most points in a season by an Atlanta Thrasher with 100 points in 2006-07. It is also the only year in which Atlanta apparently won something of some importance; the 2006-07 Division Title...the name of that division?  Anyone? Anyone?

rare photo of Hossa upright...

6)Then for whatever reason, Marian decided that playing second fiddle to Ilya Kovalchuk on a sub-par, low-marketed team was not what he wanted to be remembered for so he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2008 trade deadline along with Pascal Dupuis for Colby Armstrong, the yet-to-make-it Angelo Esposito and two others that failed to keep the Atlanta franchise in Atlanta. The trade paid immediate dividends for Hossa and the Penguins who went to the Stanley Cup final only to lose to Detroit Red Wings. Hossa was 2nd only to Crosby for Penguin playoff scoring.

Hossa resting before getting injured. Or after. Hard to tell.

7) Deciding that he didn't want to play third fiddle to the high scoring duo of Crosby and Malkin, he turned down a 5 yr $7 million deal and a multi-year $9 milllion deal from Pittsburgh and Edmonton respectively, opting for a 1 year $7.45 million deal with the Red Wings, where he felt his chances for winning a Stanley Cup were best and Pavel Datsyuk wasn't such a puck hog.

8) He started wearing #81 in Detroit as Kirk Maltby was already wearing #18.

9) Karma is a bitch factoid; In his only year in Detroit, he met his former team and teammates the Pittsburgh Penguins once again in the finals, losing in 7 games, a feat that so few players have achieved that it's not even an official stat on the Internet.

10) The next year he was one of the select few to bring (or sign) in the era of the monster contracts with a 12 year/$62.8 million front-loaded contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Later, Hossa's agent Rich Winter stated they used a mathematical formula to determine which teams would likely get 100 points in that season, increasing the odds of Hossa being on a contender. Hossa's signing paid immediate dividends. He went to the Finals for the third straight year with his third different team where he finally celebrated with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Hossa either hurt or celebrating. Hard to tell.

11) In 2011, Hossa's Stanley Cup playing streak was ended by a conference final loss to the Vancouver Canucks who went on to play against the Boston Bruins but nobody in Vancouver really knows how that turned out...

12) In 2012, Hossa (and the Hawks) aspirations for another Cup was cut short by a red-headed cannonball by the name of Raffi Torres who hit Hossa so hard into the future that when he woke up, the NHL was on strike again and the Los Angeles Kings had already won the Cup.

13) Not to be deterred, he once again lifted the Stanley Cup at the end of 2013 when the Hawks beat the Bruins making it his fourth appearance in six seasons in the finals, with a .500 Cup-lifting percentage.

14)  He has made nearly $74 million dollars playing hockey in his career. The person who beat him for rookie of the year way back in 99? Chris Drury made an estimated $51 million over his career and was bought out of the final years of his contract in 2011. This year Hossa scored 30 goals for the Hawks, showing no signs of being comfortable having won only two Stanley Cups.

Hossa also volunteers his time as a First Aid victim at all
visiting rinks during the NHL season.