Its been a strange and wild ride for Marian Hossa the last couple of years. Winning has followed him. To a point at least....
Early 2008: Marian Hossa is on a going nowhere Atlanta Thrashers team and viewed as a bit of a career underachiever based on his skill level. He is a hot commodity at the NHL trading deadline because some think he has just never been in the right situation and is the perfect "rent a player" for a team wanting to make a run at the Stanley Cup. The Penguins come out of seemingly nowhere to trade for him in the last seconds of the trading deadline. He plays great for the Penguins once healthy, shedding his playoff choker label by finishing 3rd in playoff scoring, and is a big factor as to why the Pens get to within two games of the Stanley Cup....
Summer 2008: Hossa spurns the Penguins' more lucrative multi-year offer for a one year contract with the Detroit Red Wings because he views them as a better bet to win the Stanley Cup.....
June 2009: Hossa prediction turns out to be wrong as his Red Wings lose to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. He is for the most part a non-factor in the series. Pittsburghers mock him endlessly....Hossa says he does not regret his decision...
Summer 2009: A free agent once again, Hossa takes the big money, long term deal he passed on previously by signing a frontloaded, 12 year 62.8 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are viewed as a team "on the cusp" but not necessarily a Cup contender. Most think Hossa just took the most money he could get after his close calls the previous two years.....
May 2010: The Blackhawks complete a four game sweep of the #1 seeded San Jose Sharks and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992. They haven't won a Cup since 1961. Hossa becomes the first player to play in 3 straight Cup finals for 3 different teams. The question remains if he will become the first guy to lose in the Cup finals 3 years in a row for 3 different teams....
I know he is still hated in Pittsburgh, but I hold no ill will towards Hossa. He came in 2008 and did his job very well. He was a rent-a-player to win in the playoffs. Ray Shero made the trade to try to win the Cup in 2008, not prepare for the long term.
Hossa didn't owe anything to the Penguins or the fans beyond that season. The outrage over him leaving is just insane. In fact if you take a step back, his not signing here was a blessing. There is a pretty good chance guys like Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, Max Talbot, Marc Andre Fleury and even Evgeni Malkin would not have been able to be resigned under the salary cap if Hossa signed a big multi year contract with the Pens. And who would you rather have for the next 5 years or so....Jordan Staal and Malkin and Letang and etc.. or Hossa? I think that is a no-brainer.
After the craziness he has gone through the last three years, I know I will be rooting for Hossa and the Blackhawks in the Cup finals....Anyone else?
So was Listening to sirius this morning. Hossa is the 3rd player in all of major sports to compete for a major Championship 3 straight years. The other 2 besides Hossa was someone in the 80's i cant remember the sport but i think the years were '84,'85, and '86. The other was Eric Hinske. With the Red Sox in 2007, Rays in 2008 and Yankees in 2009.
ReplyDeletePersonally I am not going to watch the Stanley Cup at all. I wont be upset if the Blackhawks win but I wont watch it for the sheer fact of how 1-sided and biast the announcing is going to be. Flashback a year to the stanley cup celebration. Listen to as the Pens are celebrating teh win and how bitter and annoyed Olzyck is. He is a terrible hockey announcer. He ruined the Olympics with his continuous focus on only the Blackhawk players and no one else. He blamed Crosby for the reason that team Canada lost to the USA early. He then praised the Toews line during the Gold Medal game when they were the line who let the game get tied up.
So If you are gonna watch the Cup either watch it on MUTE or use some other means and listen to it on something. Anything to avoid listening to Olyzck shove the city of Chicago down our throat and state how much better Toews and Kane are then Sid and Geno. His bitterness towards the Burgh will continue. Just because he couldnt hack it here he still holds a grudge
When the Red Wings players and fans were bashing Crosby for supposedly not shaking hands at a speed that met their approval, I recall Hossa making some comments to support Crosby. That was classy and helped me regain any respect that I might've lost for him.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the only way I root for Hossa is if Chicago plays Philly. If Montreal comes back and wins the series vs Philly somehow, I'll be rooting for the Habs. Cinderella winning is a great story, but Hossa losing 3 straight finals on different teams is an even better won. The best of both worlds would be awesome.
Justin....Eddie O has gotten better over time and the Pens bitterness is really only there in your imagination. He speaks and knows more about Chicago because that is who he knows (he calls their games for a Chicago station). It would be like putting Bob Errey on a national broadcast and expecting him to not talk about the Penguins. Of course he is going to end up leaning to that team. Its human nature.
ReplyDeleteAnthony...you will get your Philly/Chicago wish after tonight.