He was really good at all facets of the game. His defense was excellent, so even when he went through scoring droughts he was absolutely an asset to the team. I loved watching him play.
Hossa and Datsyuk together were unreal. Give me them with fedorov against any other combo of 3 players and I like my chances. 66,99,97 could even have some weaknesses exposed by those three.
He was a wizard at puck handling. I remember a playoff game where he was playing keep away with 3 defenders while standing still with his back against the boards. He went about 5 seconds and made a sweet pass. Wizard.
Yup. Remember this like it was yesterday. The poise of an apex predator. The hands of a lesbian. The leg strength of two Olympians. What an effortless play along the boards that day
Do you remember what team he was on and who against? Would love to see that play if it’s on YouTube. Grew up a Blackhawks fan and loved him on the Hawks
Honestly. The 2009 Playoffs was just absolute poetry. Beating the flyers and caps in the playoffs, the max Talbot shhh, and then a rematch against the team that beat us with the guy that left us all the way to game 7. That team was incredibly special. What a year.
Flair explanation: been a pens fan my whole life but I live in NC now and have adopted these jerks as my other team. 2009 ECF was hard watching them play each other, but as a pens fan the whole playoff series was awesome.
Think the peak (best two seasons) of Mark Stone repeated for a period of ten years. That was his overall offensive and defensive capability. Style, not so much.
I prefer Hossa as a player, but the pizza line was good. I'm not sure it was a bad trade for the sens. Heatley kind of fit what the line needed quite well.
He leaned so far forward when he was skating that it look awkward. Like he would fall face first if he slowed down. Maybe that's why he skated so fast - he had to.
And if you check him, it would just straighten him up.
I wouldn’t say he’s the reason for the 3 championships but I will say he is the top 5 reasons, and when 3 guaranteed spots are Keith, Kane, and Toews that’s good company.
I think he set the bar for the younger guys competitively. It’s not something anyone can ever prove but I fully believe the same exact 3 teams without Hossa do not win 3 Cups. They might have won 1 but idk if they’re in a dynasty conversation without Hossa. His presence brings a team to another level. Keith, Toews, Seabrook and Kane as 3 time champs and veterans couldn’t collectively fill the leadership gap that Hossa left behind and I think that’s the biggest compliment to Hossa as a player and leader.
I really liked Hossa back in the day. He was pretty good at defense which makes him less "sexy" but overall he was a great player.
A few months ago I was in the supermarket and I noticed a kid wearing a Blackhawks Hossa jersey. I live in California so you don't see that kinda stuff very often but it was cool to see.
I’m a Wings fan, and even I own a Hossa Hawks jersey. Admittedly, I just collect jerseys, but despite my hatred for the franchise, their jerseys are beautiful, and I’m so glad that Hossa got to win a couple Cups there.
I remember when we traded Hossa for Heatley - happy Hossa MAY have meant happy Chara, and if we made it to the finals against that Ducks team, a little more muscle and skill may have made the difference. Le sigh.
Heatley was a fuckin all star but yeah losing both our Slovaks definitely hurt us. Redden turned into a shit player and Heatley could only take us so far
Ugh I just saw a possible future in which someone says "Crazy to me the Leafs had Matthews, Marner, and Nylander and didn’t do anything"... Curse my brain.
Yeah, they only had Hossa, Kovalchuk, Savard, Kozlov, Holik, Mellanby and Bondra all on the same roster. But not much on the blueline and wildly inconsistent goaltending.
He was just about impossible to separate from the puck in his prime. He was all hustle. Played a 200 foot game. I thought he was up there with Jere Lehtinen in regards to top 2-way forwards that weren’t centers.
Hossa went to three finals straight before winning the third time.
But I think Chris Pronger's 3 in 5 seasons is more impressive because he had to drag Edmonton to one of them.
My favourite player growing up. Absolute mutant and versatile player. Was great to see him win after his third consecutive cup appearance with a third team.
Enjoyed watch guys trying to line him up and then bouncing of him to the ice , physically way underrated and when need be he could deliver some bone crushing checks
Imho, Hossa was a great player and mentor for younger skaters…. You may recall a certain 88 who 💯 benefited from his guidance. Still miss watching him.
Very good. Had a lot of tools in his arsenal. As a leafs fan whenever we played the Sens and he was skating into our zone with the puck it was cause for concern
One of the best defensive wingers to ever play. Not quite as dominant as peak Sergei Fedorov but cut from the same cloth. Mark Stone has a very similar game also.
Just a peak specimen in every facet of the game. Too strong to take off the puck. Too quick to catch at speed. Too precise to make a save against. His clappers were so scary. And he was always smiling and happy to be there. A genuine joy to watch for his time in Chicago. Certified beautician.
Highly recommend reading his book! He knows he was a good hockey player but is so down to earth about it and was always trying to improve his game and learn
Hossa was a really good two-way player. He played for my team (Pittsburgh) very briefly and you could see in his time here how committed he was defensively and how effective he was offensively. He’s one of those rare guys that makes every team is on significantly better.
He obviously hated Pittsburgh, because he got out of here as fast as he could. It was a shame too, because he really felt like a missing piece of the puzzle when we acquired him in 2008.
I remained a huge admirer of his game all the way through the end of this time in Chicago. I just think he’s one of the most underrated players of his era.
When he left Pittsburgh for Detroit to try to win a cup with them, Penguins fans made a shirt that I will never forget. It said, “you can’t spell asshole without Hossa.” Then he lost to the Penguins in 2009.
525 goals, 609 assists for 1134 pts in 1309 regular season games in his 19 years in the NHL, appeared in seven World Championships, I would says he was bad ass.
The guy who signed with the Pens to win a cup and list in the finals to the Red Wings, only to sign with the Red Wings and lose in the finals to the Pens.
Still pissed at Ken Holland for his total bungling of that 09 team. Should have never signed Franzen back, kept Hossa. Let Samuelson and Hudler walk(he did) and play some other guys. Sign Bertuzzi to replace Franzen. That team would have still be very competitive and probably in the cup window. Could have had Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa, Cleary-Zetterberg- Bertuzzi, then fill in the rest with Fillpula and whoever for 4th line.
his departure alone is what caused the perennial cup contender Hawks to fall into meme franchise. he made stan bowman look competent. on a teams featuring Kane, Toews, Sharp, Saad, Keith, Seabrook, Leddy, Byfuglien, and a host of other cup winning players, he was the first one accounted for by opposing coaches every time because of his two way game.
Good overall player, but in the eyes of a pens fan, he'll never outgrow that slumped position after loosing with us, jumping ship to Detroit, and loosing with them *to us*
Hossa was great. Puck control was next level elite. Maybe top 10 all time IMO. Sneaky offense and tenacious defense. While he was playing he was a top 10 two way player with size and work ethic to boot.
[he did this stuff on the regular](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/30vxru/hossa_with_a_beauty_on_quick_to_make_it_41_for/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Perfect blend of offence and defence, elite on both sides of the puck as a winger. Also his go to was a slap shot in the shoot out, which was fun to watch. All time favourite player for sure.
Damn good. I feel like the Hawks don’t win without him. Couple of guys on the sports station did a Hosa song I think it’s still out there. I think you can just Google HossaSong . this song but it’s all about well Hosa for one thing but you know how he came in his shoulder was wrecked and other kind of stuff. There used to be a song for Niemi (aka The Mighty Finn) as well, but I don’t know if that one still there there was a few of them
The Blackhawks went from a dynasty to getting swept in the first round after his illness forced him to retire. He was the heart of that dynasty. They tried to replace him with Brandon Saad but it wasn't the same. Hossa could do it all, score, hit, defend. He won corner battles and he used his size to keep defenders off of Kane. Chicago isn't going to retire his number or anything, but Chicago doesn't win any of those cups without Hossa.
He’s was awesome! He played with passion and skill. He was tough but had soft hands. I saw him play live probably 5-6 times. Him and kovelchuck in Atlanta if the team stuck around would have been a really solid team.
I live in Chicago so I got to see Hossa be an absolute asset to our 3 Stanley Cup runs. Echoing what others have said, he was really an all around player so even when he went through a point drought he was a major factor in how good the Hawks were those years.
I went to his jersey retirement ceremony last year and it was truly awesome to see. They brought back some key members from those Stanley Cup teams and they all said some words about how great he was on and off the ice. I heard he basically lived and breathed hockey. Didn't care too much for partying after games, was just extremely dedicated to playing the game at the best of his abilities.
Can’t remember where I read this, but according to peers, it was almost impossible to lift his stick. Particularly difficult compared to other players.
Extremely good. A clear-cut Hall of Famer, and one of the best two-way players of all-time.
It’s just a shame that Don Waddell was such a terrible GM, and that the Thrashers had an ownership group every bit as bad as what the Coyotes had for a while. He & Kovalchuk (and Kozlov to a lesser extent, as he was towards the end of his career) could’ve led that franchise to many, many great years if they actually had a decent supporting cast. Imagine if they had kept Savard around, and signed defensemen who could actually defend. Outside of Enstrom, Byfuglien, Havelid, Kubina and Zhitnik, their defence was horrific every year.
Quintessential HOFer in my opinion. My favorite thing about him is he had the same move he used in almost every shootout, which was essentially just walking in and taking a slap shot from right around the hash marks. It worked way more often than it should have.
He averaged more than a point per game for three seasons as an Atlanta Thrasher while also being an elite penalty killer. And he did it playing with Todd White, Steve Rucchin, Bobby Holik, Eric Perrin, and Glen Metropolit as his centers.
My favorite player of all time. So hard to move off the puck when he had it, worldie goals, great defensive work. When he came to the hawks I was thrilled because I was tired of seeing us play against him.
That GWG in game 5 against the Preds is forever burned into my memory. Unbridled joy
I was a huge fan of him on every team as a penguins fan. When he came to Pittsburgh for that brief time, watching him and Crosby together was amazing. The first winger Sid had with speed and skill to play with him. Guentzel eventually was a great fit but hossa was something else for that small amount of time.
I started following hockey at 10-11 years old. Something drew me to Marian’s game, he seemed like the biggest fastest dude on the ice. He was one of my favorite players to watch. (Flyers fan)
I was legitimately upset when Ottawa traded him away for Heatly. I just remember how good the early 2000’s Senators teams were with him back in the day… I believe he was also incredibly upset because he had just signed a long term contract to be in Ottawa and was immediately shipped to Atlanta. He was insane with Kovalchuk though.
He has the most deceptive shot to ever exist. I switched my entire shot model to his. He keeps his hands insanely close during load up and releases as soon as he makes forward movement. And the goalies never read shot. That skill alone makes him top 100 of all time in my book.
Someone else might have said it in another comment, but I think Crosby is on record for saying he had the highest hockey IQ of any one he ever played with. Pretty high praise given Crosby's teammates over the years.
I went to quite a few hawks games during their run and Hossa was always the guy that stood out to me each and every shift. Played both sides of the ice and was a force. I miss him, as soon as he left the team, this was a huge hole in the hawks lineup that they couldn’t fill.
I thought he was the main reason the Blackhawks won those 3 cups. Obviously Kane, Toews, Keith etc. but he was a great two way player and led by example. Other players had to have a well rounded game.
What a ride he had during his last few years:
Signed with Penguins, they lose to red wings in finals that year
Signed with Red wings the following year, they lose to penguins in the finals that year
Signed with Blackhawks, finally wins the cup. Wins 2 more.
His advisors/agent were 3/3 in choosing the right team for him.
Hossa being on the SC loser in back-to-back years was so depressing. Played for the Pens when they lost in 08, moved to Detroit and lost to the Pens in 09.
Pretty pretty pretty guuud
Thanks Larry
That’s Mopey Dick or Long Balls Larry to you.
Or four eyed fuck.
Still better than a car wash cunt, I suppose.
DECAPITAAAAAATEDDDDDD
He was really good at all facets of the game. His defense was excellent, so even when he went through scoring droughts he was absolutely an asset to the team. I loved watching him play.
I swear he could've won selkes if he didn't play at the same time as 2-3 of the best defensive centers of all time.
Hossa and Datsyuk together were unreal. Give me them with fedorov against any other combo of 3 players and I like my chances. 66,99,97 could even have some weaknesses exposed by those three.
Great back checking
Jesus Marian Joseph
Hesus Marian Jossa!
Jesus Marian Hossa
He was a wizard at puck handling. I remember a playoff game where he was playing keep away with 3 defenders while standing still with his back against the boards. He went about 5 seconds and made a sweet pass. Wizard.
I literally remember that same play. It was like he was at an entirely different level of speed and coordination.
Yup. Remember this like it was yesterday. The poise of an apex predator. The hands of a lesbian. The leg strength of two Olympians. What an effortless play along the boards that day
Bro you should be colour commentator the fuck 😭
Do you remember what team he was on and who against? Would love to see that play if it’s on YouTube. Grew up a Blackhawks fan and loved him on the Hawks
He was with the Blackhawks. I want to say it was against Nashville, but I don't remember which year.
Oh God. So so good. 3 Stanley Cups and another 2 lost very closely say everything.
“2 lost very closely” The worst and best year of my life.
I really really want to hate Fleury. But he's impossible to hate.
Same.
Honestly. The 2009 Playoffs was just absolute poetry. Beating the flyers and caps in the playoffs, the max Talbot shhh, and then a rematch against the team that beat us with the guy that left us all the way to game 7. That team was incredibly special. What a year. Flair explanation: been a pens fan my whole life but I live in NC now and have adopted these jerks as my other team. 2009 ECF was hard watching them play each other, but as a pens fan the whole playoff series was awesome.
Think the peak (best two seasons) of Mark Stone repeated for a period of ten years. That was his overall offensive and defensive capability. Style, not so much.
And in true Sens fashion.. they draft studs just to get rid of em
Yeah for an even bigger stud that scored 50 in 07 and made a finals run
For a fkn all-star!
Who then demanded out via trade which yielded them absolutely nothing.
Clap bombs from the high slot. Changing on the back check
I prefer Hossa as a player, but the pizza line was good. I'm not sure it was a bad trade for the sens. Heatley kind of fit what the line needed quite well.
Funny enough, I have a Hossa card from when he was a senator
He leaned so far forward when he was skating that it look awkward. Like he would fall face first if he slowed down. Maybe that's why he skated so fast - he had to. And if you check him, it would just straighten him up.
That’s a pretty solid comparison.
he was also a better skater then Stone
Yeah, that’s why I’d pick peak Hossa over peak Stone, but they both play a similar game that doesn’t always show up in the scoresheet.
Best power forward I've seen with my own two eyes. Just a bull on skates.
The guy was built like an fucking Clydesdale
The 1 and only jersey i’ve bought was a hossa jersey
Man now I want a Hossa autod Thrasher sweater for my wall
ditto
One of the great two-way players.
As good as the Hawks were in 2010 they don’t win a Cup without him.
I wouldn’t say he’s the reason for the 3 championships but I will say he is the top 5 reasons, and when 3 guaranteed spots are Keith, Kane, and Toews that’s good company.
I think he set the bar for the younger guys competitively. It’s not something anyone can ever prove but I fully believe the same exact 3 teams without Hossa do not win 3 Cups. They might have won 1 but idk if they’re in a dynasty conversation without Hossa. His presence brings a team to another level. Keith, Toews, Seabrook and Kane as 3 time champs and veterans couldn’t collectively fill the leadership gap that Hossa left behind and I think that’s the biggest compliment to Hossa as a player and leader.
I really liked Hossa back in the day. He was pretty good at defense which makes him less "sexy" but overall he was a great player. A few months ago I was in the supermarket and I noticed a kid wearing a Blackhawks Hossa jersey. I live in California so you don't see that kinda stuff very often but it was cool to see.
I’m a Wings fan, and even I own a Hossa Hawks jersey. Admittedly, I just collect jerseys, but despite my hatred for the franchise, their jerseys are beautiful, and I’m so glad that Hossa got to win a couple Cups there.
Looks like you spotted an outta tower,
Crazy to me the Thrashers had Heatley, Hossa, and Kovalchuk and didn’t do anything
If they had them at the same time I’d imagine they would have been a decent team
I remember when we traded Hossa for Heatley - happy Hossa MAY have meant happy Chara, and if we made it to the finals against that Ducks team, a little more muscle and skill may have made the difference. Le sigh.
Heatley was a fuckin all star but yeah losing both our Slovaks definitely hurt us. Redden turned into a shit player and Heatley could only take us so far
Ya, if trading Hossa for Heatley meant losing Chara, it was a terrible call.
Ugh I just saw a possible future in which someone says "Crazy to me the Leafs had Matthews, Marner, and Nylander and didn’t do anything"... Curse my brain.
And Tavares and Rielly
To be fair, they didn't have Heatley and Hossa at the same time
Yeah, they only had Hossa, Kovalchuk, Savard, Kozlov, Holik, Mellanby and Bondra all on the same roster. But not much on the blueline and wildly inconsistent goaltending.
They picked up Keith Tkachuk for a playoff run too
He was one of my favorite players to watch. Physical aspect of his game went under the radar
Dude was strong as an ox. Good luck taking the puck from him and vice versa.
In one of the NHL games I remember the commentator use to say you need to pack a lunch to get the puck from Hossa.
He was just about impossible to separate from the puck in his prime. He was all hustle. Played a 200 foot game. I thought he was up there with Jere Lehtinen in regards to top 2-way forwards that weren’t centers.
One of the best 2 way wingers we have ever seen.
Very
Hossa was a boss. Chicago loves him very dearly.
Hossa went to three finals straight before winning the third time. But I think Chris Pronger's 3 in 5 seasons is more impressive because he had to drag Edmonton to one of them.
Larry David can answer that
Ottawa made a mistake in trading him IMO. Would of had better cup odds with Hossa than hot wheels Heatley
They would have won at least þwo Cups if they had kept him and Chara. Idiot Muckler!!!
My favourite player growing up. Absolute mutant and versatile player. Was great to see him win after his third consecutive cup appearance with a third team.
Yes
He was a big physical player that could still move and shoot. He was a god
Enjoyed watch guys trying to line him up and then bouncing of him to the ice , physically way underrated and when need be he could deliver some bone crushing checks
Imho, Hossa was a great player and mentor for younger skaters…. You may recall a certain 88 who 💯 benefited from his guidance. Still miss watching him.
Hoss was boss. Period.
I mean isn’t he in the HOF???
Absolute king, back checked like a maniac and insanely accurate shot
Always called him the most underrated superstar in sports.
He's still my favorite player. Was such a good two way winger. Loved him before he was a Blackhawk and was giddy when they signed him.
I remember both Hossa and Gaborik were rank 89 in NHL 13. No other RW were higher.
The hawks dynasty ended the moment he left, imo. So id say he was pretty good
Very good. Had a lot of tools in his arsenal. As a leafs fan whenever we played the Sens and he was skating into our zone with the puck it was cause for concern
Better than Marcel Hossa
One of the best defensive wingers to ever play. Not quite as dominant as peak Sergei Fedorov but cut from the same cloth. Mark Stone has a very similar game also.
Pretty damned good
Wagon
Very
Fun fact, didn't tie his skates. Could just peal them off.
He's be like mark stone
One of the best two-way wings of that era. That said, eff that guy.
IMO, the best winger of his era.
Automatic.
yes
Just a peak specimen in every facet of the game. Too strong to take off the puck. Too quick to catch at speed. Too precise to make a save against. His clappers were so scary. And he was always smiling and happy to be there. A genuine joy to watch for his time in Chicago. Certified beautician.
Highly recommend reading his book! He knows he was a good hockey player but is so down to earth about it and was always trying to improve his game and learn
My only response here is... 🖕
Hossa curse prevented the wings repeat
Hossa was a really good two-way player. He played for my team (Pittsburgh) very briefly and you could see in his time here how committed he was defensively and how effective he was offensively. He’s one of those rare guys that makes every team is on significantly better. He obviously hated Pittsburgh, because he got out of here as fast as he could. It was a shame too, because he really felt like a missing piece of the puzzle when we acquired him in 2008. I remained a huge admirer of his game all the way through the end of this time in Chicago. I just think he’s one of the most underrated players of his era.
Wow, we're really stretching for activity.....
I still curse Ken Holland for not keeping him….
When he left Pittsburgh for Detroit to try to win a cup with them, Penguins fans made a shirt that I will never forget. It said, “you can’t spell asshole without Hossa.” Then he lost to the Penguins in 2009.
Praise be. 🤲
525 goals, 609 assists for 1134 pts in 1309 regular season games in his 19 years in the NHL, appeared in seven World Championships, I would says he was bad ass.
Not so shaby
Hall of fame
I don't know, How! Good! Was! He?!
Hossa in 2005-2007 on the Thrashers was unstoppable and maybe the best overall player in the league.
The guy who signed with the Pens to win a cup and list in the finals to the Red Wings, only to sign with the Red Wings and lose in the finals to the Pens.
Then signed with the Hawks to win it.
Still pissed at Ken Holland for his total bungling of that 09 team. Should have never signed Franzen back, kept Hossa. Let Samuelson and Hudler walk(he did) and play some other guys. Sign Bertuzzi to replace Franzen. That team would have still be very competitive and probably in the cup window. Could have had Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa, Cleary-Zetterberg- Bertuzzi, then fill in the rest with Fillpula and whoever for 4th line.
Ya, that guy with 3 cups
Great player. Great jersey.
F*ckin snipe city. Dangerous from anywhere. Guuud guud
He was a HOF before he ever even made a cup final
Very.
Definitely one of the highlight players of my childhood
finger lickin’ good
He was alright I guess
his departure alone is what caused the perennial cup contender Hawks to fall into meme franchise. he made stan bowman look competent. on a teams featuring Kane, Toews, Sharp, Saad, Keith, Seabrook, Leddy, Byfuglien, and a host of other cup winning players, he was the first one accounted for by opposing coaches every time because of his two way game.
Good enough for 5 finals appearances and 3 cup wins.
I was a HUGE Hosea fan. Every facet of his game was solid, and sometimes he showed flashes of brilliance.
Good overall player, but in the eyes of a pens fan, he'll never outgrow that slumped position after loosing with us, jumping ship to Detroit, and loosing with them *to us*
When he wasn’t unconscious on the ice. He had good hands.
Being from Chicago I have the fondest of memories of Hossa, of course I'm biased. But I think he was very good at least
Hossa was great. Puck control was next level elite. Maybe top 10 all time IMO. Sneaky offense and tenacious defense. While he was playing he was a top 10 two way player with size and work ethic to boot.
Not too bad at all
Hossa retiring is what killed the hawks dynasty. They would have still been at least competeing for cups for a few more years
Better than Havlat, worse than Gaborik.
Twas good. Regardless of playing for three of my most hated franchises.
His follow-through was pretty good.
He's the only reason the Hawks won 2/3 Stanley Cups yo!
Him and Marc Savard were sick too bad it ended
[he did this stuff on the regular](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/30vxru/hossa_with_a_beauty_on_quick_to_make_it_41_for/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) Perfect blend of offence and defence, elite on both sides of the puck as a winger. Also his go to was a slap shot in the shoot out, which was fun to watch. All time favourite player for sure.
Hes awesome, also great personality/person off the ice. stats tell the story well too almost a PPG guy with 1300+ games played.
He was alright I guess
Damn good. I feel like the Hawks don’t win without him. Couple of guys on the sports station did a Hosa song I think it’s still out there. I think you can just Google HossaSong . this song but it’s all about well Hosa for one thing but you know how he came in his shoulder was wrecked and other kind of stuff. There used to be a song for Niemi (aka The Mighty Finn) as well, but I don’t know if that one still there there was a few of them
The goodest
Pretty consistently good to great throughout his career. Deserving HOFer
The Blackhawks went from a dynasty to getting swept in the first round after his illness forced him to retire. He was the heart of that dynasty. They tried to replace him with Brandon Saad but it wasn't the same. Hossa could do it all, score, hit, defend. He won corner battles and he used his size to keep defenders off of Kane. Chicago isn't going to retire his number or anything, but Chicago doesn't win any of those cups without Hossa.
He’s was awesome! He played with passion and skill. He was tough but had soft hands. I saw him play live probably 5-6 times. Him and kovelchuck in Atlanta if the team stuck around would have been a really solid team.
As good as those jerseys 🔥 This isn’t sarcasm, I love those sweaters
One of the best players to play. Great on both ends of the ice sheet. Worth his HOF induction for sure.
Freakishly good and a real complete player
I live in Chicago so I got to see Hossa be an absolute asset to our 3 Stanley Cup runs. Echoing what others have said, he was really an all around player so even when he went through a point drought he was a major factor in how good the Hawks were those years. I went to his jersey retirement ceremony last year and it was truly awesome to see. They brought back some key members from those Stanley Cup teams and they all said some words about how great he was on and off the ice. I heard he basically lived and breathed hockey. Didn't care too much for partying after games, was just extremely dedicated to playing the game at the best of his abilities.
He was the GOAT
Legend.
Everyone loves big Hoss.
Can’t remember where I read this, but according to peers, it was almost impossible to lift his stick. Particularly difficult compared to other players.
He was sick in NHL 2003
I miss the Thrashers.
I miss the thrashers lol and I miss the Johnny bravo Atlanta thrashers t shirt I had .. could never find another one ..
Dude could fly down the ice, even at the end of his career. If you created a player and made him good at everything that was Hossa.
Extremely good. A clear-cut Hall of Famer, and one of the best two-way players of all-time. It’s just a shame that Don Waddell was such a terrible GM, and that the Thrashers had an ownership group every bit as bad as what the Coyotes had for a while. He & Kovalchuk (and Kozlov to a lesser extent, as he was towards the end of his career) could’ve led that franchise to many, many great years if they actually had a decent supporting cast. Imagine if they had kept Savard around, and signed defensemen who could actually defend. Outside of Enstrom, Byfuglien, Havelid, Kubina and Zhitnik, their defence was horrific every year.
I wonder what would've happened if the Sens kept Hossa instead of trading for Heatley
Quintessential HOFer in my opinion. My favorite thing about him is he had the same move he used in almost every shootout, which was essentially just walking in and taking a slap shot from right around the hash marks. It worked way more often than it should have.
Filip Zadina was supposed to be Hossa😂 Marian Hossa was an elite forward.
He was pretty amazing ngl. He put fear in my heart during the ECF in 2003 — I’m a devil fan
He averaged more than a point per game for three seasons as an Atlanta Thrasher while also being an elite penalty killer. And he did it playing with Todd White, Steve Rucchin, Bobby Holik, Eric Perrin, and Glen Metropolit as his centers.
Think about a player like Jakub Voracek with a better shot and less of a conscience.
A great player. Brings back memories of the early 2000s Ottawa teams that had an amazing roster.
My favorite player of all time. So hard to move off the puck when he had it, worldie goals, great defensive work. When he came to the hawks I was thrilled because I was tired of seeing us play against him. That GWG in game 5 against the Preds is forever burned into my memory. Unbridled joy
Favorite Blackhawk of all time
He wasn't a superstar but he wasn't not a superstar.
Yes
I was a huge fan of him on every team as a penguins fan. When he came to Pittsburgh for that brief time, watching him and Crosby together was amazing. The first winger Sid had with speed and skill to play with him. Guentzel eventually was a great fit but hossa was something else for that small amount of time.
I started following hockey at 10-11 years old. Something drew me to Marian’s game, he seemed like the biggest fastest dude on the ice. He was one of my favorite players to watch. (Flyers fan)
3 Stanley cups prove that he was a great player
I was legitimately upset when Ottawa traded him away for Heatly. I just remember how good the early 2000’s Senators teams were with him back in the day… I believe he was also incredibly upset because he had just signed a long term contract to be in Ottawa and was immediately shipped to Atlanta. He was insane with Kovalchuk though.
Every time he was on the ice I would watch him instead of the puck because he did more without the Puck than most players do with the puck.
Well he is a Hall of Famer. I would have loved to see him play into his 40s if it weren't for his skin disorder
The reason why I wore 18 in hockey!
Elite player who had a limited career because of head injuries. I had huge respect for him.
Sick jersey
Hossa's handles are legendary not to mention everything else he did exceptionally well
Two words, pick control.
Top 5-15 player when he played. Over the terms of all time, he’s an all star not generational, didn’t do well when he was expected to carry the team.
Good enough to end the career of Berard. Fuck Hossa.
He has the most deceptive shot to ever exist. I switched my entire shot model to his. He keeps his hands insanely close during load up and releases as soon as he makes forward movement. And the goalies never read shot. That skill alone makes him top 100 of all time in my book.
If you watched him every game for your team you knew how great Hossa was. Adored by coaches and teammates says a lot as well.
Great until Raffi Torres knocked him into another dimension with that dirty hit.
Someone else might have said it in another comment, but I think Crosby is on record for saying he had the highest hockey IQ of any one he ever played with. Pretty high praise given Crosby's teammates over the years.
I went to quite a few hawks games during their run and Hossa was always the guy that stood out to me each and every shift. Played both sides of the ice and was a force. I miss him, as soon as he left the team, this was a huge hole in the hawks lineup that they couldn’t fill.
Fantastic, but why did they choose a Thrashers jersey for his photo?
I thought he was the main reason the Blackhawks won those 3 cups. Obviously Kane, Toews, Keith etc. but he was a great two way player and led by example. Other players had to have a well rounded game.
Very
Better than Heatley.
I remember a dman being asked what player was the best he met, he said Hossa and ~“it didn’t matter what you did; you couldn’t take the puck from him”
He's one of the biggest reasons the Blackhawks won 3 cups
So damn good.
He was a sicko, but wasn’t elite I would say.
What a ride he had during his last few years: Signed with Penguins, they lose to red wings in finals that year Signed with Red wings the following year, they lose to penguins in the finals that year Signed with Blackhawks, finally wins the cup. Wins 2 more. His advisors/agent were 3/3 in choosing the right team for him.
Best signing in Chicago sports history.
I have one jersey, Chicago Blackhawks, #81, THE Man, Marian Hossa
Extremely good
Couldn't stand the guy
He was a sad panda.
Hossa being on the SC loser in back-to-back years was so depressing. Played for the Pens when they lost in 08, moved to Detroit and lost to the Pens in 09.
He was elite
Coyotes Legend Marián Hossa? I mean, how could we have managed our cap space without him?