Marian Hossa recently confirmed what was probably already assumed by telling a Slovakian newspaper that his hockey playing career is over.
Hossa told Novy cas that his career is finished after sitting out the 2017-18 season due to the side effects that were associated with a medication he was taking for a skin disorder.
The 39-year-old Hossa still has three years remaining on a 12-year, $63.3 million contract that he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the 2009-10 season. While the cap hit on that contract is well over $5 million per season, Hossa is owed $1 million in base salary in each of the next three years. Hossa also told the paper that he expects to take a front office job with the Blackhawks after his contract ends.
By not “officially” retiring he will still collect that money from the Blackhawks, who will put him on the long-term injured list during the season, just as they did in 2017-18. But the result here is the same: Hossa is done playing hockey.
[Related: Skin disorder forces Marian Hossa to miss all of 2017-18 season]
Hossa had a remarkable career in the NHL that covered 20 seasons and saw him score 525 goals and record 1,134 points. Along with that offensive production he was also consistently one of the game’s best two-way forwards and played a relentless defensive game that probably should have resulted in far more Selke Trophy consideration than he ever received.
He was a core player on three Stanley Cup winning teams in Chicago. He also went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009 as a member of both the Pittsburgh Penguins (2008) and Detroit Red Wings (2009).
(S/T Chicago Sun Times)
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.