The Legend of Marian Hossa

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

One of the biggest stories of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals is Marian Hossa's departure from the Penguins in 2008 to play for the Detroit Red Wings.

In 1997, Hossa was drafted 12th overall by the Ottawa Senators.  He played a few games before being assigned to the minors where he scored 85 points in 53 games as well as WHL Rookie of the Year honors.

An injury in his team's championship run caused him to miss the beginning of the Senators' 1998-1999 season.  He returned in December an put up 30 points in 60 games.

The next three seasons showed continued improvement with a high of 80 points in the 2002-2003 season.  That year, he led the Sens with 16 points in 18 games during the playoffs which ended in the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the New Jersey Devils.

Hossa signed a three-year, $18M contract with the Senators but was traded to Atlanta after the lockout.  In his first year with the Thrashers, he scored 92 points and then followed that up with a 100+ point season in 2006-2007.

Even though Atlanta won the Southeast Division, they were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round.

In 60 games with the Thrashers during the 2007-2008 season, he scored 56 points.  He also appeared in the All-Star Game for the fourth time.  Unfortunately, it was obvious that Atlanta would not be making the playoffs.

Hossa, his contract ending and his desire to win the Stanley Cup stronger than ever, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Pascal Dupuis.  It looked as though Hossa would be part of a championship formula.

Barely into his first game with the Pens, Hossa was injured and would sit out for several games.

During the subsequent post-season run, Hossa silenced critics who branded his past playoff performances as disappointing.  He scored 26 points in 20 games with the Penguins and nearly forced overtime in the dying seconds of what would be the Wings' Game Six clinching victory.

The events creating this year's big story then happened.  Hossa chose to turn down a huge contract with Pittsburgh in favor of giving himself the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup.  He chose Detroit.

Isn't that the phrase we hear many times during the playoffs?  "We had chances."  "Our goalie gave us the chance to win."  Et cetera.

I have claimed that Hossa took a single year contract with a great team in order to position himself for a huge, multi-year deal this summer.  With an 80+ point season and a Stanely Cup, Hossa might have been able to beat Pittsburgh's eight-year, $56M offer and get upwards of $8.5M for seven or eight years.

Now, who knows where he will end up?  Perhaps the Wings will unload some older free agents, keep Hossa and bring in younger and less expensive players?  It's possible Hossa will take a huge deal with another up-and-coming club where he can lend leadership and scoring.

Comparing 2008 to 2009, Hossa definitely disappointed many.  He scored 71 points in the regular season.  That's comparable to the points average he had with Pittsburgh in 12 games.

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