Chicago Blackhawks: Marian Hossa well-deserved induction into HOF

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Let’s look back on his time in Chicago.

When the Chicago Blackhawks inked Marian Hossa to a twelve-year, $62.8 million deal before the 2009-2010 season, he was coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup runner-up campaigns. In 2008, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup while Hossa was with the Penguins, and the two flip-flopped the following year.

At the time Hossa signed with the Blackhawks, the team was infused with young talent with the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook, and the group was surrounded by a strong core of role players. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, Hossa didn’t officially make his Blackhawks debut until November 25, 2009, scoring twice in the contest with the San Jose Sharks.

He was the piece that put the Blackhawks over the edge as Cup contenders. One of his more important postseason memories in his first season with the Hawks was in the Game 5 matchup with the Nashville Predators. Tied at two games apiece in the series, the Predators looked like they were about to leave Chicago with a pivotal 3-2 series lead.

However, after Patrick Kane tied up the game late in the third period, the game would go to overtime. The Hawks survived Hossa’s five-minute major in the OT period, in which he came out of the box and set up camp in front of the Predators’ netminder Pekka Rinne. Kane put a shot on net, which bounced on Rinne’s pads right to Hossa, who buried it into the back of the net, paving the way to an eventual series win in Game 6.

I fondly remember watching that game and will always associate that moment as a potential turning point in the Blackhawks’ first Stanley Cup victory since 1961.

During his eight-year career in Chicago, Hossa accumulated 186 goals with 229 assists for 415 points and a combined +133 rating. Other than his goal against Nashville, Hossa racked up 52 career postseason goals. His time in Chicago came to an abrupt end due to an apparent skin allergy to his hockey equipment.

“Definitely it wasn’t an easy decision because I still felt like I had a lot in the tank to give,” Hossa told NBC Sports Chicago. “That’s why it was kind of difficult. But health is first. I have two young daughters and I just have to look in the future. It was tough to play with the pills every day, putting [them] into the body. I had to stop this, I had to make a big decision and the decision was I cannot play under these conditions.”

He was the definition of a consummate professional, and this is a very well-deserved induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.