Marian Hossa

Marian Hossa
Born	January 12, 1979 (1979-01-12) Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Right wing/left wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team F. teams	Chicago Blackhawks NHL: Ottawa Senators Atlanta Thrashers Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings SlEx: HC Dukla Trenčín SEL: Mora IK
Ntl. team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	12th overall, 1997 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1996–present

Marián Hossa (born on January 12, 1979 in Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round (12th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After spending his first seven NHL seasons with the Senators, he has played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and his current team, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Over the course of his career, Marián has made five NHL All-Star Game appearances and played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals' with three different teams before finally winning the Stanley Cup in 2009–10 with the Blackhawks.

On December 8, 2011, Marián became the 85th player in NHL history to score 400 career goals. As a member of the 2012-2013 Chicago Blackhawks, during the lockout shortened year, he won his second Stanley Cup.

Playing career

Ottawa Senators (1998–2004)

Marián was drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft from HC Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga. Shortly thereafter, he was selected fifth overall in the 1997 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft by the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL, acquiring his major junior rights in the event that he did not immediately stick with the Senators in the NHL.

In fact, after seven games in the NHL, the Senators assigned Marián to junior and he tallied 45 goals and 40 assists for 85 points in 53 games with the Winter Hawks in 1997–98, earning him the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year, as well as CHL and WHL West First Team All-Star honors.

He led the Winter Hawks to a President's Cup as WHL champions en route to the 1998 Memorial Cup championship. Late in the third period of a tied championship game against the Guelph Storm, Marián collided with Guelph forward Ryan Davis and suffered a serious knee injury, forcing him out of the game.

The Winterawks went on to clinch the championship in overtime and Marián returned to the ice on a chair as his teammates pushed him around with the Memorial Cup to celebrate the victory. With seven points in four tournament games, Marián was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team, along with teammate Andrej Podkonický.

The injury kept Marián from joining the Senators for his rookie season in 1998–99 until December. Despite missing two months, Marián managed 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 60 games to earn NHL All-Rookie honours and finish second to Colorado's Chris Drury in Calder Trophy voting for rookie of the year.

The following year, in 1999–2000, Marián improved to 29 goals and 56 points. However, late in the season, on March 11, 2000, he was responsible for a tragic on-ice accident, carelessly high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Bryan Berard on a follow-through.

The resulting one-inch laceration nearly forced doctors to remove the eye and nearly ended Berard's career. Deeply regretful and concerned, Marián went to visit Berard in hospital the next day to offer an apology to which Berard absolved him of any responsibility.

Marián recorded 32 goals and 75 points in 2000–01, finishing second in team scoring behind Alexei Yashin and earning his first NHL All-Star Game appearance in Denver. In the off-season, his rookie contract expired and Marián became a restricted free agent.

Unable to come to terms before training camp for the 2001–02 season, Marián sat out the first two weeks before signing a three-year, $8.5 million contract on September 26, 2001. Despite Marián's lucrative new contract, his production would dip to 66 points in the first year of the deal.

Marián would regain form in 2002–03 with a career-high 45 goals and a team-leading 80 points, while competing in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game in Florida. He then led the Senators to a long 2003 playoff run where they were eliminated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup-champion New Jersey Devils in the conference finals.

Marián led the Senators with 16 points in 18 post-season games. The following season, he led the Senators in scoring for the second consecutive season with a personal best 82 points, then added four points in seven games in the playoffs as the Senators were eliminated by the Maple Leafs in the first round.

Due to the NHL lockout, Marián spent the 2004–05 season in Europe. Beginning the season in Slovakia, he joined Mora IK of the Elitserien to play with his younger brother Marcel after 19 games with HC Dukla Trenčín.

After 32 points in 24 games with Mora IK, Marián returned to HC Dukla Trenčín where he completed the season for a total of 42 points in 22 games with the club.

Atlanta Thrashers (2006–2008)

With NHL play set to resume the following season in 2005–06 and Marián's previous contract expired, Marián signed a three-year, $18-million deal with the Senators.

However, the contract only precipitated a deal that sent him that same day to the Atlanta Thrashers along with defenseman Greg de Vries for star forward Dany Heatley who had requested a trade following the death of teammate Dan Snyder in a car crash for which Heatley was responsible.

Marián joined star winger Ilya Kovalchuk and scored 39 goals and 53 assists for 92 points, surpassing his previous personal best by ten points, in his first season with the Thrashers.

In the 2006–07 season, Marián made franchise history as the first Thrasher to score 100 points in one season, finishing with 43 goals and 57 assists; along with a plus/minus rating of +18. He was named to his third All-Star Game in Dallas where he notched four assists.

In the final game of the regular season, Marián recorded two assists against the Tampa Bay Lightning to achieve the 100-point mark which still stands as the franchise's single-season points record. The season also marked the first division title and post-season appearance for the Thrashers, clinching the Southeast for the third playoff seed. Marián, however, only managed one point in four games as the Thrashers were eliminated in the first round by the New York Rangers.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2008)

In the last year of his contract with the Thrashers in 2007–08, the team and Marián could not agree on an extension. Marián was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline on February 26, 2008 along with Pascal Dupuis in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and the Penguins' first-round pick in 2008 (Daultan Leveille).

In his Penguins debut two days later, Marián injured his medial collateral ligament in a knee-on-knee collision with Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins. He missed the next six contests before rejoining the team for the conclusion of the regular season, playing on a line with Dupuis and Sidney Crosby.

Marián completed the regular season with 66 points in 72 games split between the Thrashers and Penguins. He had also appeared in his fourth All-Star Game while still with the Thrashers as the host-city.

Complementing an already high-powered offense led by Evgeni Malkin and Crosby, Marián proved to be a vital cog in the Penguins run to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. He scored his first playoff overtime goal in game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, his second of the contest, against Henrik Lundqvist to clinch the series, putting the Penguins into the Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Eliminating the Flyers in five games, Marián and the Penguins met the Detroit Red Wings in the Final. After scoring the opening goal to help stave off elimination in a triple-overtime game five victory, he scored his team-leading 12th and final post-season goal in the sixth and deciding game to pull the Penguins within one goal. However, the Penguins were ultimately defeated by the Red Wings 3–2.

Marián nearly forced overtime with the tying goal, but it was stopped by goaltender Chris Osgood in the final seconds of the game. He finished third in playoff scoring with 26 points, behind Conn Smythe Trophy-winner Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings and linemate Sidney Crosby.

Marián's performance helped shed a reputation for postseason underachievement as indicated by previous playoff dry spells with the Senators and Thrashers.

Detroit Red Wings (2008–2009)

Despite a reported five-year contract offer worth $7 million annually from the Penguins in attempts to retain his services, on July 1, 2008, Marián signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings worth $7.45 million.

Marián had also reportedly turned down a multi-year offer from the Edmonton Oilers worth at least $9 million per season. He explained that he opted for the shorter-term contract in hopes of a better opportunity to win a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.

With Wings' veteran forward Kirk Maltby already wearing Marián's number 18, he switched to number 81 with Detroit. He notched his first goal as a Red Wing on October 18th an overtime winner against the New York Rangers which also marked the 300th goal of his career. Marián scored a goal in his return to Pittsburgh with the Red Wings on February 8, where he was heavily booed by the Pittsburgh fans.

After missing two games due to a neck injury late in the season, Marián was taken off the ice in a stretcher after falling head first into the boards following a check from St. Louis Blues defenceman Roman Polák on March 3, 2009.

Escaping serious injury after having laid motionless on the ice for several minutes, it was revealed that in addition to minor neck complications, Marián also suffered a bruised knee and was listed as day-to-day. Despite the injury, he returned to finish the season with a team-leading 40 goals for his third career 40-goal season.

Late in the regular season, on March 23, 2009, Marián was quoted as saying he would like to sign a long-term career deal with the Red Wings for the upcoming season. He also stated he is willing to take less money to continue to play for Detroit, saying, "I know if I go somewhere else, I could have more, but I'm willing to take less to stay here. Hopefully things work out." His comments came just several months after the Red Wings signed forward Henrik Zetterberg to a twelve-year contract extension.

As the Red Wings attempted to defend their 2008 Stanley Cup championship, Marián met his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins as the two clubs met for the second straight year in the Final. The prospect of Marián losing to the team he left in order to secure a Stanley Cup championship received considerable media attention.

Prior to eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in the semi-finals, Marián admitted meeting the Penguins in the finals "would definitely be very interesting. Ultimately, he did in fact lose to his former team, falling by a 2–1 score in the seventh game.

Immediately following the game, Marián was asked whether he regretted his decision to leave the Penguins, to which he replied, "Regret? I don't regret it. It could be different circumstances if I sign in Pittsburgh, they probably couldn't sign some other players and they'd be a different team." He finished the 2009 playoffs with six goals and nine assists for a total of 15 points over 23 games

Chicago Blackhawks (2009–present)

On July 1, 2009, Marián signed a twelve-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $62.8 million. The contract is front-loaded with $59.3 million due in the first eight years for an average cap hit of $5.2 million per season.

It was also the most lucrative deal in team history until defenceman Duncan Keith signed a thirteen-year, $72 million contract several months later in December of 2009. The signing of Marián by the Blackhawks coincided with the departure of the team's leading scorer and MVP from the previous season Martin Havlat to the Minnesota Wild that same day.

Shortly after signing Marián, the team disclosed that the veteran forward was still rehabilitating a shoulder injury he had sustained during the previous postseason. The injury required him to undergo surgery and caused him to miss the first eight weeks of the season.

Marián's contract negotiations became the subject of controversy in early August. On July 31, the Ottawa Sun originally reported that the NHL launched an investigation on Hossa's long-term deal.

Because the contract is front-loaded and expires by the time Marián is 42 years old, it was speculated whether retirement before expiry of the contract was part of the Blackhawks' negotiations. Such an agreement would be considered by the NHL to be a circumvention of the salary cap and collective bargaining agreement subject to fines or the loss of draft picks.

On November 25, 2009, Marián made his debut for the Blackhawks against the San Jose Sharks scoring twice, including a short-handed goal in the second period of the game.

During the Blackhawks first playoff series in 2010, Marián received a five-minute major penalty for boarding Nashville Predators defenceman Dan Hamhuis. With 13.6 seconds left in regulation, Marián's teammate Patrick Kane tied the game. In the overtime, Hossa scored the game-winning goal shortly after exiting the penalty box. Since Hamhuis was not injured, the NHL did not fine or suspend him.

On May 23, 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks to earn a trip to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals and sending Marián to the Final for the third straight year with his third different team, a first in the NHL.

Fans and the media had dubbed Marián's inability to win the Stanley Cup while going to the finals the "Hossa Curse" or the "Hossa Hex." On June 9, 2010, he finally lifted his first Stanley Cup. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews handed the Cup to Marián first during the team pass-around.

In 2011–12, Marián served as an alternate captain with Chicago. He also was picked eighth-overall by Team Chara in the 2nd annual All-Star fantasy draft. In the 2012 All-Star Game, Hossa scored one goal and had two assists in a 12–9 win against Team Alfredsson.

On March 20, 2012, Marián scored his 900th NHL-career point (417 goals, 483 assists) in his 970th game played with a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In the first period of game three of the opening round of the 2012 Western Conference Quarter Finals, Marián was taken off the ice on a stretcher and briefly hospitalized after being hit by Phoenix's Raffi Torres. Torres was suspended 25 games by the NHL for the hit though it was later reduced to 21 games after an NHLPA appeal.

International play

Early in his career, Marián represented Slovakia in two World Junior Championships in 1997 and 1998. Also appearing in his first World Championships in 1997, he tallied two points as an eighteen-year-old. Marián has made seven appearances in the tournament throughout his career. Despite personal World Championship best seven-point performances in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2006, he has remained medal-less with Slovakia.

Marián made his Olympics debut at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, tallying six points in only two games for Slovakia. In the subsequent 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, he accumulated ten points in six games, but Slovakia was kept from the podium. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Marián scored the game-tying goal in the third period against Russia during the preliminary round.

Also, Marián competed for Slovakia at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, held prior to the NHL lockout, but managed just one goal in four games.

Personal life

Marián was born in Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia to František Hossa, a former head coach of the Slovak national ice hockey team, and Mária Hossová, a clothing designer.

His younger brother (by two years), Marcel Hossa (who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2000) followed in his footsteps playing for both of Marián's previous junior teams, HC Dukla Trenčín and the Portland Winter Hawks.

Marián and Marcel have played together for Mora IK of the Elitserien during the 2004–05 NHL lockout and on the Slovak national team in the World Championships and Winter Olympics.

Coincidentally, the brothers were both dealt by their NHL teams on the day of the 2007–08trade deadline; Marián from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Marcel from the New York Rangers to the Phoenix Coyotes. Marcel is currently playing overseas with HC Lev Praha of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Marián is good friends with fellow Slovak, Marián Gáborík of the Columbus Blue Jackets. On July 17, 2010, he married his long-time girlfriend Jana Ferová in Trenčín. In September of 2011, they welcomed a daughter named Mia.

 Transactions

• June 21, 1997: Drafted by the Ottawa Senators twelfth-overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
• September 26, 2001: Re-signed with the Ottawa Senators to a three-year, $8.5 million contract.
• August 23, 2005: Re-signed with the Ottawa Senators to a three-year, $18-million contract; traded to the Atlanta Thrashers by the Ottawa Senators with Greg de Vries for Dany Heatley.
• February 26, 2008: Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins by the Atlanta Thrashers with Pascal Dupuis for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and Pittsburgh's first-round choice in 2008 (the Thrashers selected Daultan Leveille).
• July 2, 2008: Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Detroit Red Wings to a one-year $7.45 million contract.
• July 1, 2009: Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks to a twelve-year $62.8 million contract.

Career Statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995–96	HC Dukla Trenčín Jr.	SVK-Jr.		53	42	49	91	26		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	HC Dukla Trenčín	SVK		46	25	19	44	33		7	5	5	10	—
1997–98	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		53	45	40	85	50		16	13	6	19	6
1997–98	Ottawa Senators	NHL		7	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Ottawa Senators	NHL		60	15	15	30	37		4	0	2	2	4
1999–00	Ottawa Senators	NHL		78	29	27	56	32		6	0	0	0	2
2000–01	Ottawa Senators	NHL		81	32	43	75	44		4	1	1	2	4
2001–02	HC Dukla Trenčín	SVK		8	3	4	7	16		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Ottawa Senators	NHL		80	31	35	66	50		12	4	6	10	2
2002–03	Ottawa Senators	NHL		80	45	35	80	34		18	5	11	16	6
2003–04	Ottawa Senators	NHL		81	36	46	82	46		7	3	1	4	0
2004–05	Mora IK	SEL		24	18	14	32	22		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	HC Dukla Trenčín	SVK		25	22	20	42	38		5	4	5	9	14
2005–06	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		80	39	53	92	67		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		82	43	57	100	49		4	0	1	1	6
2007–08	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		60	26	30	56	30		–	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		12	3	7	10	6		20	12	14	26	12
2008–09	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		74	40	31	71	63		23	6	9	15	10
2009–10	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		57	24	27	51	18		22	3	12	15	25
2010–11	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		65	25	32	57	32		7	2	4	6	2
2011–12	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		81	29	48	77	20		3	0	0	0	0
2012–13	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		40	17	14	31	16		22	7	9	16	2
NHL totals				1018	434	501	935	544		152	43	70	113	75

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997	Slovakia	WJC		6	5	2	7	2
1997	Slovakia	WC		8	0	2	2	0
1998	Slovakia	WJC		6	4	4	8	12
1999	Slovakia	WC		6	5	2	7	8
2001	Slovakia	WC		6	1	2	3	2
2002	Slovakia	Olympics		2	4	2	6	0
2004	Slovakia	WC		9	2	5	7	2
2004	Slovakia	WC		4	1	0	1	2
2005	Slovakia	WC		7	4	3	7	6
2006	Slovakia	Oly		6	5	5	10	4
2006	Slovakia	WC		5	1	6	7	0
2007	Slovakia	WC		6	2	4	6	6
2010	Slovakia	Olympics		7	3	6	9	6
2011	Slovakia	WC		5	1	1	2	2
Junior int'l totals				12	9	6	15	14
Senior int'l totals				71	29	38	67	38

All-Star Games

Year	Location		G	A	Pts
2001	Denver		0	2	2
2003	Sunrise		0	0	0
2007	Dallas		0	4	4
2008	Atlanta		1	1	2
2012	Ottawa		1	2	3
All-Star totals			2	9	11

Awards & Achievements

WHL and CHL

Award	Year
WHL West First All-Star Team	1998
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL Rookie of the Year)	1998
CHL First All-Star Team	1998
President's Cup (WHL champions)	1998
Memorial Cup	1998
Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team	1998

NHL

Award	Year(s)
NHL All-Rookie Team	1999
NHL All-Star Game	2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012
NHL All-Star Team	2009 NHL Second All-Star Team
Stanley Cup	2010, 2013

External links

• Marian Hossa's NHL player profile
• Marian Hossa's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Marian Hossa's biography at Legends of Hockey
• ESPN Profile

Preceded by Chris Phillips

Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 1997

Succeeded by Mathieu Chouinard