*Photo from NHL.com*
Another legend is having his number hit the rafters this season. The Chicago Blackhawks will be retiring RW Marian Hossa's number 81 this season, according to an announcement by the Blackhawks recently.
Hossa talked about the honor, saying that "Today, I kind of sit and start enjoying the game. After the national anthem, I looked to the left and saw those names and still couldn't believe that my name next year is going to be up there. There's only a handful of names or jerseys hanging, and Chicago has a history of 100 years. To me, that's amazing. I'm losing words."
The Blackhawks announced that Hossa's number 81 will be raised to the rafters on November 20, when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hossa's last NHL season was in the 2016-2017 season, and his playing career ended due to a skin condition.
In the 2016-2017 season, Hossa was on his 8th season with the Blackhawks. He ended the season with 26 goals and 19 assists, recording a +7 plus/minus rating over 16:51 of average ice time in 73 regular season games. He went pointless in 4 playoff games.
Hossa ended his career after 19 seasons in the league. Over that time, he notched 525 goals and 609 assists, adding a +245 plus/minus rating with an average of 18:41 of ice time per game in 1,309 career regular season games. Hossa added 52 goals and 97 assists in 205 career playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup 3 times.
At the time of his retirement, Hossa said that "As a kid, you know you dream to play one day in the National Hockey League, the best league in the world. Then your goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Your goal is not going into the rafters or going into the Hall of Fame, but I guess somebody really liked my game over those years and this success we've had. I was lucky to play with so many great players and a great coaching staff. Thanks also to them. It's amazing news for me and my family. I'm overwhelmed. It still didn't sink. It's amazing."
Hossa was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November of 2021 after his lengthy career, as a member of the class of 2020. He was a consistent goal scorer, scoring at least 30 goals in a season 8 different times, and passing the 40 goal mark 3 times.
When he gets his number retired, Hossa will join Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, Keith Magnuson, Pierre Pilote, Stan Mikita, Denis Savard, and Bobby Hull as players with their numbers retired in the rafters of United Center.
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