VIDEO A fairy-tale hockey story: Hossa will return to a historic place after 29 years – Športky.sk

CHICAGO – Marián Hossa will see another huge milestone when he is officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on November 15. Although he had to wait a whole year for the celebration, she did not lose the hallmark of exceptionality in the slightest. He will return to the historic site after 29 years, visiting for the first time as a thirteen-year-old boy, and at that time he had no idea that he would return to the Hall of Fame once as a member.

The forty-two-year-old former striker was included among hockey legends last year and was officially introduced to the Toronto Hall of Fame last November. However, the coronavirus pandemic changed everything, and since the organizers did not want to deprive Hoss or others of the solemn ceremony and the associated multi-day program, they decided to postpone it by a year.

“At least we could enjoy it a little longer than other players. So it also had some benefits. But now I’m ready to enjoy it with my family in the Toronto Hall of Fame, where I was last thirteen years old and now I’ll be back. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a great honor for me to be in such a company. I’ve had plenty of time to realize that, but I guess it won’t all happen to me until I’m there. “ said at a press conference on Tuesday.

When he first entered the Hall of Fame, he was most interested in the famous Stanley Cup. He got to him, but according to tradition, he did not touch the trophy for the NHL champion. “I have a picture of it, we’re standing next to him at such a distance. It’s a beautiful memory. I haven’t been there since.” At that moment, he had never dreamed of ever winning the trophy: “For me, the goal was to play for Dukla, the national team, and then, if it works, in the NHL.”

His greatest role models included Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromír Jágr and Peter Forsberg. “I looked up to them. Wayne was first, I also bought a VHS, and then I was showing what he did best. He scored goals, made handles, and it motivated me a lot. I played the tape around.” said Hoss, revealing that he had a signed jersey at home from Gretzky and Lemieux.

Marian Hossa Legacy Night

The three-time Stanley Cup winner had to travel to Chicago before, with which he won all the trophies. However, even the ceremony entitled “Marian Hossa Legacy Night”, at which the “hawks” were to honor the former Slovak striker on November 9 before the match with the Pittsburgh Penguins, will not take place according to plan.

Following the roll-over of the case with Kyle Beach, who was sexually harassed in 2010 by former video analyst Dave Aldrich, the Blackhawks are in difficult times and have agreed with Hoss that there is no reason to celebrate now. “INblack we had a video call with the new Chicago management, we all agreed to postpone this Legacy Night indefinitely. There is currently no room for us to celebrate. We will set a date later and I don’t know what the program will be like, I have to wait for it. So my trip will not go to Chicago, but directly to Toronto, where I will have a celebration at the Hall of Fame. “

Hossa had to change his plans at the last minute. He would like to fly overseas on November 11, and a day later he will start a four-day program, during which a match of NHL hockey legends will also take place. In it, Marián will appear alongside his brother Marcel Hossu in Mike Modan’s “world” team. The second will be led by Scott Niedermayer.

“Since my brother played in the NHL, he has the right to start in that match. Well, I first told them that I wasn’t wearing equipment for four years and I don’t feel I should go on the ice. Then we took over with my brother and we go once a week on the ice. Basically, it’s about having a beautiful memory with my brother. After a long time on skates, it was weird, but then I got used to it and I started to enjoy it. ” He said he was most looking forward to former teammate Brent Seabrook in the match.

Emotional expression

The highlight of the inaugural weekend will be the introduction of new members to the Hall of Fame. In addition to Marian Hoss, Jarome Iginl, Kevin Lowe, Doug Wilson, Ken Holland and Kim St-Pierre will also join the prestigious club. After Stan Mikit and Peter Šťastný, Hossa is the third player from Slovakia to be in the Hall of Fame. In addition to the memorabilia from his career that he would bring to the museum, he also had to prepare a speech, which was not an easy task.

“The last time I wrote a style was about school, then nothing for a long time, so I had nothing to break from. I made a list of people I want to thank. They told us that the speech should last 5 to 7 minutes, I came out of 16, so I have problem and now I’m reducing it. I believe it will be nice. ” Hossa laughed, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in the first possible year.

Many players will not shed tears during a moving ceremony. Emotions can also affect the former Slovak representative: “My wife tells me I’m like a rock and I’ve never seen me cry, but I think she can come to that peacefully. At that speech, my career rises quickly into one and my feelings are tense. I’ll be surprised.”

Even after the end of his career, Hossa doesn’t miss the NHL. “It’s much faster, more dynamic, the battles are gone. The characters are changing, the guys don’t have to be so tall and strong anymore. I said to myself, “What am I doing here because I was a poor guy from Trenčín? Now it’s the other way around, the guys are looking at the diet and they have a completely different regime.” he said. Of the current players, Connor McDavid admires the most: “It’s a phenomenon. I dare say Sidney Crosby is a giant, but at the age McDavid shows, he’s incredible. He looks at him very well, he always comes up with something extra.”

He was also pleased with Chicago on Tuesday night, which recorded its first win of the season. Patrick Kane contributed a lot to her, who after returning from the covid list shot a hat-trick and added assistance. “I immediately wrote to Patrick and Jonathan Toews. I was very pleased that they achieved the first win of the season and Patrick had a hat-trick. So it was a really good morning.” he added.

Chicago Dynasty

Hossa has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015). He came to Chicago in 2009 as a free agent and spent the final eight years of his profile career at the club. Thanks to his comprehensive play, he became one of the most famous personalities of the club, which grew into a hockey dynasty during the Hoss era.

In his first season, he won the Blackhawks Championship Cup and repeated this success twice more. For Chicago, he played a total of 534 matches in the basic part, in which he scored 186 goals and collected 229 assists, in the playoffs he added 73 points (21 + 52) in 107 duels.

He played a total of 1,309 NHL games in the NHL, scoring 525 goals and adding 609 assists. In the playoffs, he entered 205 duels with a balance of 52 + 97. In Slovakia, he became the Hockey Player of the Year six times and is a Slovak recorder in the number of points earned at the Olympic Games, where he scored 14 goals and the same number of assists.

In 2017, he had to end his career prematurely due to health problems. He was not allowed to play by the allergic reaction caused by the combination of sweat and hockey equipment. Together with Chris Pronger, they are the only players elected to the Hall of Fame, although their contracts have not yet expired.

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• VIDEO: TASR / Radovan Stoklasa
• Source: TASR