A few days ago I highlighted Jarome Iginla’s time with the Penguins and today I am going to look back at another Hall of Fame Penguins legend, Marian Hossa.
Hossa was inducted on his first time on the ballot. Some people have brought up his lack of awards as a reason he should have had to wait. I don't happen to share that line of reasoning and it is because I don't really think the people who vote for these awards have done a good job over the years. Some of them won't even vote for players if their team misses the playoffs because their GM is incompetent. Players should be assessed on the things they control and the things Hossa controlled he was great at. End of story.
Back in 2008 Marian Hossa’s trade to the Penguins was a sign Ray Shero was serious about Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin competing for a Stanley Cup. Shero traded away Crosby’s buddy Colby Armstrong, shootout specialist Erik Christensen, 2008 first round pick (Daultan Leveille?), and eventual bust Angelo Esposito.
This was one of the best deadline deals of all-time. It was so good many Penguins fans view this as the Pascal Dupuis deal even with Marian Hossa played lights out for the Penguins. Nothing of consequence was lost for Pittsburgh and the Penguins locked up one of the best wingers in the game and also acquired Crosby’s long term right wing. They both played on Crosby's wing for the 2008 playoffs. It was a phenomenal trade.
Pittsburgh wasn’t really a good team in 2008. They relied on Marc-Andre Fleury’s brilliant .933 save percentage, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marian Hossa providing the offense. Michael Therrien’s coaching wasn’t good and neither were the underlying numbers. The Penguins CF% was 44.65 and xGF% was 47.48 during the 2008 playoffs. Not great. Their PDO of 1019 led all playoff teams. In contrast the 2008 Red Wings were CF% 60.38 and xGF% was 58.26. Without Hossa there is no Cup run.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Hossa hurt his MCL immediately after the trade and missed six games. There was real concern about his health and if he would be able to develop chemistry with Crosby. Things worked out just fine. Here is Hossa’s sample as a Penguin.
I added the relative stats because Hossa’s 46.61 CF% in the playoffs doesn’t look great, but neither were the Penguins. The Penguins CF% was 43.5 without Hossa on ice.
Hossa’s offensive contributions were plentiful. In the 20 games he played in the playoffs he had 12 goals (leading the Penguins) and 26 points. Sid had six goals and 27 points. Malkin had ten goals and 22 points in 20 games. Remember Ryan Malone? He had 16 points. Those were the only forwards with double digit points. The team was incredibly top heavy with stellar goaltending. The fact the Penguins took the Red Wings to six games was a remarkable achievement. Hossa had seven points in those six Stanley Cup Final games. The Penguins were an inch away from taking things into overtime in Game 6 with none other than Hossa providing the drama.
It was 90 seconds earlier Hossa tipped in a goal to cut the Red Wings lead from 3-1 to 3-2 to even allow for the Penguins that last second gasp.
The fallout in the offseason was Hossa declining a seven-year 49M extension with the Penguins to sign a one-year deal with the Red Wings. This upset a lot of people in Pittsburgh. For some it forever tainted their perception of Hossa. I always felt this was unfair. NHL players have so little control over their career paths I don’t begrudge them for choosing what they want for whatever reasons they choose. Who could fault Hossa? The Red Wings were amazing. People poke fun at Hossa losing to the Penguins the following year, but in reality the Red Wings were a Pavel Datsyuk injury away from winning back to back titles. The Penguins were fortunate to grind out the 2009 championship. Hossa wasn’t an idiot for picking the Red Wings. It was an educated decision and a good one.
Things worked out just fine for Hossa. He made the Stanley Cup Final again. He won the Stanley Cup. Then he won it two more times. Hossa finished his career with 149 points in 205 playoff games. He was great. He was a huge reason his teams made it as far as they did. He was one of the smartest, most gifted, and holistic players of his era. He remains the best player Sidney Crosby ever had on his wing. For three months he was a Penguin and for three months he was an amazing Penguin. It was a legendary run.
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