Marian Hossa may have been one of the last guys added to the Chicago Blackhawks core that has won the organization two Stanley Cup championships, but the elder statesman of the group is still making as big an impact on the ice as anyone.
In 48 games this season, Hossa scored 21 goals and added 22 assists on the campaign. He has found a huge amount of success skating with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp on the team’s top line, and that trio of Olympians has propelled the Blackhawks into becoming arguably the best offense in the NHL.
While most players on the Hawks are heading to their first or second Olympics, Hossa will be representing Slovakia for the fourth time, and his squad has just as good a chance at winning gold as any other. In Hossa’s first Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, his team finished 13th, but in the last two Games he’s attended, Slovakia has finished fifth and fourth.
With a blend of veterans like Zdeno Chara and Michal Handzus coming together with young stars like Tomas Jurco and Tomas Tatar, Slovakia may not have the flashy names of Russia or the ridiculous depth of nations like Canada, but they do have a strong leadership core that will be looking to make a serious impact in what could be their final Olympics with all hands on deck.
Hossa will be 39 years old the next time the Olympics come along in 2018, and even though he’s showing no signs of slowing down, a lot can happen between now and the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.
