Blackhawks to retire 3-time Stanley Cup Champ's jersey
The Chicago Blackhawks are entering a season where their direction is quite clear: try to get the first overall pick and select Connor Bedard. They have made a number of moves in the past year that have helped them work towards this goal, including trading superstar forward Alex DeBrincat, not qualifying Dominik Kubalik or Dylan Strome and having Petr Mrázek slotted as their starting goaltender for this season.
Despite a firm focus on the club's future, Chicago has decided to honor some of the past as well. On Wednesday, per a report, the Blackhawks are set to retire the number of Hall of Fame forward Marian Hossa on November 20th, when they host the Penguins, one of Hossa's former teams.
The Slovakian forward played 1309 games in the NHL split between five teams, with his final eight seasons with the Blackhawks organization. The forward registered 525 goals and 1,134 points, with a +245 rating. He was a key contributor for Chicago in the 2010, 2013 and 2015 cup runs, both offensively and defensively, and established himself as one of the premier two-way forwards in the league. Hossa had to make the unfortunate decision to retire due to a skin condition after the 2016-2017 season, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021.
The Blackhawks decided that #81 belongs in the rafters at United Center, and there are few who could argue with it. There haven't been many positive storylines with the Blackhawks in the past year, but this is definitely one of them.
