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Abel to Yzerman

Why Hossa Will Stay

by IwoCPO on 06/18/09 at 03:54 PM ET
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Marian Hossa, from what we’ve seen and read, is a quality guy.  He’s also one of the top ten most talented players in the NHL. 

Good people who also happen to possess huge amounts of skill don’t leave the Detroit Red Wings.  They stay until they win a Cup, then they stay for another and maybe two more after that. They take less money and they sacrifice their personal statistics.  They keep their mouths shut in the media (unless…nevermind…I’ll let you off the hook on this one Pens fans) and they buy into the system.

And in Hossa’s case, there are things to be proven.

He wants to show the hockey world that he’s not a mercenary, despite the fact that his signing with the Wings was his first real chance to actually choose the team he’d play for. 

He wants to settle down in an area, establish roots and become a part of a community.  He’s said as much and I believe him.

And if it were up to him it would be July 1st today, then Game 1 tomorrow.  Marian Hossa wants to get it on again, and soon.  He wants to get to the regular season so that he can get back to the playoffs so that he can get back to the Finals so that he can prove to himself that the last month of his life was the exception, not the rule.

If Ken Holland tells Hossa he can only sign him for five million per year, Hossa will take five.  If Holland says a four million dollar deal would keep Hudler here too, Hossa will sign for four.  If Holland tells Hossa that he can give him 1 million this year, then 8 in the final year of a five year deal?  Hossa will take it. 

Holland is going everything he can to keep Hossa in the fold because you don’t give up the chance to keep Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen and Hossa together.  If it means you have to let a Samuelsson and a Hudler go, you do…because you have Helm and Leino and Abdelkader, if necessary. 

Hossa’s going nowhere because he likes being a Red Wing.  He’ll take what’s good for the team because he’s learned that’s how you fit in with the Wings. 

He’s gonna re-sign in Detroit because that’s what a character guy who wants to win would do.  It’s what a guy would do if he wants to prove to a bunch of doubters that he’s not a playoff failure.

I don’t know the money.  I’m not even gonna look.  I’m telling you right now, he’s gonna take less to stay because Detroit is where he wants to be.

Pittsburgh fans will tell you that’s what he said to them last year.  Well, I’ll tell them that there’s a difference.  Pittsburgh has two guys making 8 million/year and stressing the Cap.  Detroit has no one close to that greedy. They have the opposite.  Hossa will remain a Wing because he knows that character wins.  He wants to prove that he’s got that kind of character.

Money isn’t an issue.  As idiotic as that sounds in the Cap era.  It isn’t and it won’t be.  He’ll take what he’s offered and it will be 5 million or less, and maybe not even close to that for the first few years.

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Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977.  No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y.  Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation.  There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature.  Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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