On the evening that Marian Hossa signed a one-day contract to retire with the Chicago Blackhawks officially, the team announced that they would be retiring his jersey next season. Hossa will become the eighth player in Blackhawks history to have his number retired, joining Hall, Pilote, Magnuson, Hull, Savard, Mikita, and Esposito. The official ceremony will be next season.
Marian Hossa gets a roaring ovation from the United Center crowd as it's a announced that his No. 81 will be retired next season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/cvT039b1lA
— Patrick K. Flowers (@PatrickKFlowers) April 8, 2022
Hossa played 19 seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks, Senators, Thrashers, Penguins, and Red Wings, scoring 525 goals and 1,134 points while winning three Stanley Cups (all with the Blackhawks) and a Memorial Cup championship.
Hossa will be one of the greatest two-way players in NHL history, but he is also widely considered the single most significant free-agent signing in Chicago sports history. Hossa’s 12-year, $64.2 million deal in July 0f 2009 was the final piece that helped propel their talented young core to three Stanley Cups in five years.
Marian Hossa called his years in Chicago “the best years of my life” tonight.