Chicago Blackhawks: Marian Hossa will walk into the Hall of Fame

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a few legends over the past decade and Marian Hossa walking into the Hall of Fame is the first of many.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the league’s premier teams over the past decade. They won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015 because they built their organization the right way. Well, they were a Western Conference Finalist in 2009 before being defeated in that series by the Detroit Red Wings. After the Cup was awarded a few weeks later, they signed Marian Hossa to a big free-agent contract.

Hossa was on that Detroit team that had just defeated Chicago in the Conference Finals and then was defeated in the Stanley Cup Final by the Pittsburgh Penguins. That was the second year in a row that Hossa was on the Stanley Cup runner up. Signing with Chicago gave them exactly the boost that they needed to put them over the edge and it gave Hossa a chance to finally get his name on the holy grail.

Well, Hossa was going to be a Hall of Fame player anyway because of how good he was in his regular-season career but the Stanley Cups make him one of the league’s all-time best. The thing that made Hossa so special is the fact that he was a winger that played the game in all three zones like a center. Think of the skill sets Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews each possess and combine them, that is Marian Hossa.

Hossa’s eight years with the Chicago Blackhawks ended up being the most of any team but he also had stints with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, and Ottawa Senators. He was a super impactful player everywhere he went but getting to Chicago was the best thing for him and his career.

Hossa’s career numbers are absolutely ridiculous. First, you can see his all-around prowess by looking at his 54.6 percent CorsiFor and plus-245 career rating. Simply put, the Blackhawks were so much more likely to have the puck and score than being scored against when Hossa was on the ice. That is why his 525 goals and 609 assists for 1134 points in 1309 games are even more impressive.

You can argue he would have even more points if he cheated a little offensively but instead, he was committed to team defense and he still managed to be an all-time great offensive player. All of these facts will add up to Hossa being a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the class is announced later this afternoon.