Kukla's Korner Hockey
Next entry: Dealing With The Blackhawks
Previous entry: Roloson Stones The Leafs
Hossa Likes The Blackhawks Atmosphere
by Paul on 11/24/09 at 07:31 AM ET
Comments (13)
from Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun-Times,
Hossa knows his way around. This is his fourth NHL team in three seasons. He started with the Ottawa Senators, then was with the Atlanta Thrashers before his failed championship bids with the Penguins and Red Wings. He also played for Slovakia in two Winter Olympics. So the Hawks won’t be his first contender, but they might turn out to be the best team he has played on.
‘‘I’ve been on quite a few, and this one is right there,’’ he said. ‘‘The advantage of this team is it’s mostly young guys who are just getting better and stronger in their understanding of the game.’‘
Last year he played for an old team in Detroit. The Hawks are the exact opposite.
‘‘This is the youngest group of guys I’ve ever played with,’’ Hossa said. ‘‘It’s been fun in the dressing room. It’s a different crowd than in Detroit. They were a little more mature there.’‘
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Marian+Hossa,
Comments
I’m sure Chicago’s “heightened mental clarity” will help him pull through this time.
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 11/24/09 at 09:44 AM ET
Meh. Chicago is the next best team to carry Hossa to a Cup.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 11/24/09 at 10:10 AM ET
I wonder how Hawks fans will react when THEY overpay the invisible man in the playoffs. That’s not a crowd known for being kind.
Posted by matt from ohio on 11/24/09 at 10:34 AM ET
They were a little more mature there.
So… Marian prefers an immature dressing room?
Posted by jvwalt on 11/24/09 at 12:00 PM ET
It’s a different crowd than in Detroit. They were a little more mature there. None of their underage players got drunk and punched out a fifty-something cab driver when I was there. So I’m really excited to see just how immature these baby Hawks can be.
There. Fixed. 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 11/24/09 at 12:11 PM ET
Anyone ever stop to think that Hossa had a shoulder problem during the playoffs that slowed him down when he was with the Wings? He was an absolute beast in the playoffs when he was on the Pens…
After this shoulder surgery he has potential to really bring it.
You bitter Wing fans… crack me up. 
Posted by Adam on 11/24/09 at 12:23 PM ET
Anyone ever stop to think that Hossa had a shoulder problem during the playoffs that slowed him down when he was with the Wings?
According to both Hossa and the Wings, he had that shoulder injury for the span of season. What Wings fans couldn’t understand was how he lost his first step in the playoffs; the explosive acceleration he’d had all year was gone, and no one ever mentioned anything about a lower-body injury at the time or afterward. His shoulder shouldn’t have affected his skating, so everyone assumes it was buckling to pressure or jitters (because we all witnessed first-hand that he was the Pens’ best player in the 07-08 SCF).
Posted by Bella on 11/24/09 at 01:03 PM ET
Posted by Adam on 11/24/09 at 12:23 PM ET
Oh your shoulder hurts. Wah. Use it.
I’ve seen a player will a team to a Cup on one leg. Hossa floated…end of story.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 11/24/09 at 01:30 PM ET
I’m not a Hossa fan-boy or anything. I’m just saying that you guys are completely taking that out of the picture. An injury can have all sorts of causes and effects on the body.
Granted it’s the playoffs and you want to see a top player perform at top level but if they’re playing injured you can’t expect them to play in top form.
Posted by Adam on 11/24/09 at 02:11 PM ET
Adam, let me save you the trouble…it’s like talking to a doorknob. They wait and wait for a story or comments disrespecting the wings then come out in full force. But they’ll be the first to say that the Penguins won the cup because of injuries to the Wings.
Posted by Greg on 11/24/09 at 02:38 PM ET
First off, he scored 40 goals in the regular season with a bum shoulder. That’s not so there goes any injury excuses during the playoffs.
But they’ll be the first to say that the Penguins won the cup because of injuries to the Wings.
And if you actually read any of the comments regarding that, you would know that the references are specifically to the likes of Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, who would not have even played if it was the regular season, but still managed to play well enough to lead their team within one game of winning the cup.
I would be the first to say that Hossa played really well in the playoffs for the Pens and I was over the moon when the Wings signed him. I continued to be a big Hossa fan throughout the year and even the first half of the playoffs when he wasn’t scoring a lot but was playing well. But when the Wings had significant injuries and guys like Stuart and Ericsson and Filpulla were stepping up, Hossa was nowhere to be found.
As happy as I was that Detroit signed him in ‘08, that’s exactly how happy I was that they didn’t re-sign him this summer.
Posted by Garth on 11/24/09 at 03:17 PM ET
I think what pisses us Wings fans off, besides the disappearing act that heavily contributed to costing us the cup, is that he signed with our bitter rivals.
The Hawks are a scary team with Hossa back now, but I can think of 3 good reasons why they still don’t have the chops to beat the Wings in the 7 game playoff series.
#1 - Cristobel Huet - He is a major weak link and will be exposed by either Detroit or SJ.
#2 - Immaturity - Does anybody remember game 4 in the WCF last year? The Wings were without Lidstrom, Ericsson and Pavel, and it was the ‘Hawks lack of composure that burned them. They will come unraveled long before the Wings will.
#3 - Joel Quinnville - He is the Wings official bitch. Check the stats, the Wings have manhandled him in nearly every playoff series. While I believe the ‘Hawks and Wings have equal talent, maybe even an edge ‘Hawks now, the experience is still favoring Detroit. So those two things cancel each other out, so it boils down to goaltending and coaching. It’s not even close on those two fronts.
We all know how this story ends; the Hossa curse is as reliable as the madden curse.
Posted by cainer4wingsglory on 11/24/09 at 07:22 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Video- Sundin And Roenick Honored By Their Respective Teams
Randy Carlyle Ready To Coach Again
Just Another Game For The Wings?
Video- Flyers Lose 5-2 At Home To Rangers
Video- Lars Eller Goal, Good Offense Or Bad Defense?
Hockey Talk In the Middle Of February
About KK Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker
Make extra cash while playing online poker. Rakeback is free and comes with rake races.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.
That “old” Detroit team made it to the Finals while that “young” Chicago team lost to them in 5. And if I remember correctly, Hossa didn’t seem capable of elevating his game when the Wings needed it most. The guy’s a DBag.
Posted by James from NY on 11/24/09 at 09:35 AM ET