Hossa Calling It Quits

On Saturday, reports were starting to surface that Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa was leaning towards retirement and in the evening, those reports were confirmed by the player himself, that his 19-year NHL career will indeed be coming to an end.

Hossa missed the entire 2018 season after a skin condition, due to an allergic reaction to his hockey equipment, was diagnosed and he was unable to just suit up for the club, more than anything else.  The team's management didn't have any better news at the end of the season, saying his condition was unchanged, but now the 39-year old has resigned himself to the fact that he won't be playing anymore.

The Slovak forward finishes with 525 goals and 1,134 points in 1,309 career regular season games and 52 goals and 149 points in 205 career playoff games.  He was a very productive player in the NHL, playing with the Senators, Thrashers, Penguins, Red Wings and finally, the Blackhawks.  He has three Stanley Cups on his resume and most importantly, he was a part of Allan's 2011 hockey pool winning team.

Hossa's retirement won't officially take place until after the 2021 season, as his contract doesn't expire until then, so his $5.275 million cap hit will be on the LTIR for the next three seasons, as he still gets paid out until it's all said and done.