Marian Hossa Out 2-3 Weeks; Chicago Blackhawks Recall Jeremy Morin

Chicago Blackhawks star forward Marian Hossa went down in practice on Monday, and coach Joel Quenneville confirmed to the media that Hossa will be out two to three weeks, missing between six to nine games with an unspecified “lower body injury.”

In the wake of Hossa leaving the ice with an apparent leg injury during practice on Monday, the Blackhawks have recalled forward Jeremy Morin from Rockford.

Morin, 19, made his NHL debut on Nov. 6 at the Atlanta Thrashers, from whom he was acquired in a summer trade. He was credited with four shots, two blocked shots and one takeaway in two games with the Blackhawks this season. Morin currently leads Rockford with six goals, including a team-high four on the power play, has three assists and is plus-two in 17 AHL games.

Hawks fans should be concerned with Hossa' injury. Very concerned.

He had shoulder surgery after signing his deal with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2009, but his shoulder doesn't appear to be the problem. In fact, when Hossa missed time earlier this year, the organization was specific in denying that the injury was related to last season’s issues.

In late February 2008, in his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hossa was hit in the knee and suffered a slight tear to his MCL. There were also reports that he had “minor” arthroscopic surgery on a knee this summer after the Stanley Cup championship.

Maybe the most glaring example of there being something wrong was a breakaway on Saturday during the Blackhawks-Kings game in LA. Rob Scuderi caught Hossa from behind and killed a great scoring chance.

Nothing against Scuderi, but the best defenseman in the league can’t catch a healthy Hossa from behind when there’s nothing but ice between him and the net. This play indicated that there was something wrong with Hossa. His collision with Nick Boynton in practice on Monday might be the firestarter for fans, but this is a lingering issue that finally reached the point where the organization felt the need to sit him down for a while.