Marian Hossa Marián Hossa ( ; born January 12 , 1979 ) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft ; after playing for the Senators , he played for the Atlanta Thrashers , Pittsburgh Penguins , and Detroit Red Wings . Over the course of his career , he has made four NHL All - Star Game appearances . Hossa played in three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals ' with three different teams before finally winning the Stanley Cup in 2009 – 10 with the Blackhawks . Playing career . Early years . After being drafted into the NHL , he played one season with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) , winning the Memorial Cup in 1998 . Internationally , Hossa has represented Slovakia in numerous tournaments , but has remained medal - less in two World Junior Championships , seven World Championships , three Winter Olympics and one World Cup . Ottawa Senators ( 1998 – 2004 ) . Hossa was drafted in the first round , 12th overall , by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft from HC Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga . Shortly thereafter , he was selected fifth overall in the 1997 Canadian Hockey League ( CHL ) Import Draft by the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL , acquiring his major junior rights in the event that he did not immediately stick with the Senators in the NHL . In fact , after 7 games in the NHL , the Senators assigned Hossa to junior and he tallied 45 goals and 40 assists for 85 points in 53 games with the Winter Hawks in 1997 – 98 , earning him the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year , as well as CHL and WHL West First Team All - Star honors . He led the Winter Hawks to a President ' s Cup as WHL champions en route to the 1998 Memorial Cup championship . Late in the third period of a tied championship game against the Guelph Storm , Hossa collided with Guelph forward Ryan Davis and suffered a serious knee injury , forcing him out of the game . The Winter Hawks went on to clinch the championship in overtime and Hossa returned to the ice on a chair as his teammates pushed him around with the Memorial Cup to celebrate the victory . With 7 points in 4 tournament games , Hossa was named to the Memorial Cup All - Star team , along with teammate Andrej Podkonický . The injury kept Hossa from joining the Senators for his rookie season in 1998 – 99 until December . Despite missing two months , Hossa managed 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 60 games to earn NHL All - Rookie honours and finish second to Colorado ' s Chris Drury in Calder Trophy voting for rookie of the year . The following year , in 1999 – 2000 , Hossa improved to 29 goals and 56 points . However , late in the season , on March 11 , 2000 , he took part in a tragic on - ice accident , high - sticking Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Bryan Berard on a follow - through . The resulting one - inch laceration nearly forced doctors to remove the eye and nearly ended Berard ' s career . Deeply regretful and concerned , Hossa went to visit Berard in hospital the next day to offer an apology to which Berard absolved him of any responsibility . Hossa recorded 32 goals and 75 points in 2000 – 01 , finishing second in team scoring behind Alexei Yashin and earning his first NHL All - Star Game appearance in Denver . In the off - season , his rookie contract expired and Hossa became a restricted free agent . Unable to come to terms before training camp for the 2001 – 02 season , Hossa sat out the first two weeks before signing a three - year , $ 8 . 5 million contract on September 26 , 2001 . Despite Hossa ' s lucrative new contract , his production would dip to 66 points in the first year of the deal . He would regain form in 2002 – 03 with a career - high 45 goals and a team - leading 80 points , while competing in the 2003 NHL All - Star Game in Florida . He then led the Senators to a deep 2003 playoff run where they were eliminated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup - champion New Jersey Devils in the conference finals . Hossa led the Senators with 16 points in 18 post - season games . The following season , he led the Senators in scoring for the second consecutive season with a personal best 82 points , then added 4 points in 7 games in the playoffs as the Senators were eliminated by the Maple Leafs in the first round . Due to the NHL lockout , Hossa spent the 2004 – 05 season in Europe . Beginning the season in Slovakia , he joined Mora IK of the Elitserien to play with his younger brother Marcel after 19 games with HC Dukla Trenčín . After 32 points in 24 games with Mora IK , Hossa returned to HC Dukla Trenčín where he completed the season for a total of 42 points in 22 games with the club . Atlanta Thrashers ( 2006 – 2008 ) . With NHL play set to resume the following season in 2005 – 06 and Hossa ' s previous contract expired , he signed a three - year , $ 18 - million deal with the Senators . However , the contract only precipitated a deal that sent him that afternoon to the Atlanta Thrashers along with defenseman Greg de Vries for star forward Dany Heatley , who had requested a trade following the death of teammate Dan Snyder in a car crash for which he was responsible . Hossa joined star winger Ilya Kovalchuk and scored 39 goals and 53 assists for 92 points , surpassing his previous personal best by ten points , in his first season with the Thrashers . In the 2006 – 07 season , he made franchise history as the first Thrasher to score 100 points in one season , finishing with 43 goals and 57 assists ; along with a plus / minus rating of + 18 . He was named to his third All - Star Game in Dallas where he notched four assists . In the final game of the regular season , Hossa recorded two assists against the Tampa Bay Lightning to achieve the 100 - point mark , which still stands as the franchise ' s single - season points record . The season also marked the first division title and post - season appearance for the Thrashers , clinching the Southeast for the third playoff seed . Hossa , however , only managed 1 point in 4 games as the Thrashers were eliminated in the first round by the New York Rangers . Pittsburgh Penguins ( 2008 ) . In the last year of his contract with the Thrashers in 2007 – 08 , the team and Hossa could not agree on an extension , Hossa was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline on February 26 , 2008 , along with Pascal Dupuis , in exchange for Colby Armstrong , Erik Christensen , prospect Angelo Esposito , and the Penguins ' first - round pick in 2008 ( Daultan Leveille ) . In his Penguins debut two days later , Hossa injured his medial collateral ligament in a knee - on - knee collision with Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins . He missed the next six contests before rejoining the team for the conclusion of the regular season , playing on a line with Dupuis and Sidney Crosby . Hossa completed the regular season with 66 points in 72 games split between the Thrashers and Penguins . He had also appeared in his fourth All - Star Game while still with the Thrashers as the host - city . Complementing an already high - powered offense led by Evgeni Malkin and Crosby , Hossa proved to be a vital cog in the Penguins run to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals . He scored his first playoff overtime goal in Game 5 , of the Eastern Conference Semifinals , his second of the contest , against Henrik Lundqvist to clinch the series , putting the Penguins into the Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers . Eliminating the Flyers in five games , Hossa and the Penguins met the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals . After scoring the opening goal to help stave off elimination in a triple - overtime Game 5 victory , Hossa scored his team - leading 12th and final post - season goal in sixth and deciding game to pull the Penguins within one goal . However , the Penguins were ultimately defeated by the Red Wings 3 – 2 . Hossa nearly forced overtime with the tying goal , but was stopped by goaltender Chris Osgood in the final seconds of the game . He finished third in playoff scoring with 26 points , behind Conn Smythe Trophy - winner Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings and linemate Sidney Crosby . Hossa ' s performance helped shed a reputation for postseason underachievement , as indicated by previous playoff dryspells with the Senators and Thrashers . Detroit Red Wings ( 2008 – 2009 ) . Despite a reported five - year contract offer worth $ 7 million annually from the Penguins in attempts to retain his services , on July 1 , 2008 , Hossa signed a one - year deal with the Detroit Red Wings worth $ 7 . 45 million . Hossa had also reportedly turned down a multi - year offer from the Edmonton Oilers worth at least $ 9 million per season . Hossa explained that he opted for the shorter - term contract in hopes of a better opportunity to win a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings . With Wings ' veteran forward Kirk Maltby already wearing Hossa ' s number 18 , Hossa switched to 81 with Detroit . Hossa notched his first goal as a Red Wing on October 18 , an overtime winner against the New York Rangers , which also marked the 300th goal of his career . Hossa scored a goal in his return to Pittsburgh with the Red Wings on February 8 , where he was heavily booed by the Pittsburgh fans . After missing two games due to a neck injury late in the season , Hossa was taken off the ice in a stretcher after falling head first into the boards following a check from St . Louis Blues defenceman Roman Polák on March 3 , 2009 . Escaping serious injury after having laid motionless on the ice for several minutes , it was revealed that in addition to minor neck complications , Hossa also suffered a bruised knee and was listed as day - to - day . Despite the injury , Hossa returned to finish the season with a team - leading 40 goals for his third career 40 - goal season . Late in the regular season , on March 23 , 2009 , Hossa was quoted as saying he would like to sign a long - term career deal with the Red Wings for the upcoming season . He also stated he is willing to take less money to continue to play for Detroit , saying , " I know if I go somewhere else , I could have more , but I ' m willing to take less to stay here . Hopefully things work out . " Hossa ' s comments came just several months after the Red Wings signed forward Henrik Zetterberg to a twelve - year contract extension . As the Red Wings attempted to defend their 2008 Stanley Cup championship , Hossa met his former team , the Pittsburgh Penguins , as the two clubs met for the second straight year in the Finals . The prospect of Hossa losing to the team he left in order to secure a Stanley Cup championship received considerable media attention . Prior to eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in the semi - finals , Hossa admitted meeting the Penguins in the finals " would definitely be very interesting . " Ultimately , Hossa did , in fact , lose to his former team , falling by a 2 - 1 score in the seventh game . Immediately following the game , Hossa was asked whether he regretted his decision to leave the Penguins , to which he replied , " Regret ? I don ' t regret it . It could be different circumstances if I sign in Pittsburgh , they probably couldn ' t sign some other players and they ' d be a different team . " Hossa finished the 2009 playoffs with six goals and nine assists for a total of 15 points over 23 games . Chicago Blackhawks ( 2009 – present ) . On July 1 , 2009 , Hossa signed a 12 year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $ 62 . 8 million . The contract is front - loaded with $ 59 . 3 million due in the first eight years for an average cap hit of $ 5 . 2 million per season . It was also the most lucrative deal in team history until defenceman Duncan Keith signed a 13 - year , $ 72 million contract several months later in December 2009 . The signing of Hossa by the Blackhawks coincided with the departure of the team ' s leading scorer and MVP from the previous season , Martin Havlat , to the Minnesota Wild that same day . Shortly after signing Hossa , the team disclosed that the veteran forward was still rehabilitating a shoulder injury he sustained during the previous postseason . The injury required Hossa to undergo surgery , and caused him to miss the first eight weeks of the season . Hossa ' s contract negotiations became the subject of controversy in early August . On July 31 , the " Ottawa Sun " originally reported that the NHL launched an investigation on Hossa ' s long - term deal . Because the contract is front - loaded and expires by the time Hossa is 42 , it was speculated whether retirement before expiry of the contract was part of the Blackhawks ' negotiations . Such an agreement would be considered by the NHL to be a circumvention of the salary cap and collective bargaining agreement subject to fines or the loss of draft picks . Hossa made his debut for the Blackhawks on November 25 , 2009 against the San Jose Sharks , scoring twice , including a short - handed goal in the second period of the game . During the Blackhawks first playoff series in 2010 , Hossa received a five minute major penalty for boarding Nashville Predators defenceman Dan Hamhuis . With 13 . 6 seconds left in regulation , Hossa ' s teammate Patrick Kane tied the game . In the overtime , Hossa scored the game winner goal shortly after exiting the penalty box . Since Hamhuis was not injured , the NHL did not fine or suspend Hossa . On May 23 , 2010 , the Chicago Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks to earn a trip to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals , and sending Hossa to the Finals for the third straight year with his third different team , a first time in the NHL . Fans and the media had dubbed Hossa ' s inability to win the Stanley Cup while going to the finals the ' Hossa Curse ' or the ' Hossa Hex ' . On June 9 , 2010 , Hossa finally lifted his first Stanley Cup . Chicago captain Jonathan Toews handed the Cup to Hossa first during the team pass - around . International play . Early in his career , Hossa represented Slovakia in two World Junior Championships , in 1997 and 1998 . Also appearing in his first World Championships in 1997 , tallying two points as an eighteen - year - old , Hossa has made seven appearances in the tournament throughout his career . Despite personal World Championship best 7 - point performances in 1999 , 2004 , 2005 and 2006 , Hossa has remained medal - less with Slovakia . He made his Olympics debut at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City , tallying 6 points in a limited 2 games for Slovakia . In the subsequent 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Hossa accumulated 10 points in 6 games , but Slovakia was kept from the podium . During the 2010 Winter Olympics , Hossa scored the game tying goal in the 3rd period against Russia during the preliminary round . Hossa also competed for Slovakia at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey , held prior to the NHL lockout , but managed just 1 goal in 4 games . Personal life . Hossa was born in Stará Ľubovňa , Czechoslovakia , to František Hossa , a former head coach of the Slovak national ice hockey team , and Mária Hossová , a clothing designer . His younger brother by two years , Marcel Hossa , drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2000 , followed in his footsteps playing for both of Marián ' s previous junior teams , HC Dukla Trenčín and the Portland Winter Hawks ; while the two have played together for Mora IK of the Elitserien during the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout and on the Slovak national team in the World Championships and Winter Olympics . Coincidentally , they were both dealt by their NHL teams on the day of the 2007 – 08 trade deadline – Marián from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Marcel from the New York Rangers to the Phoenix Coyotes . The younger Hossa is currently playing overseas with Spartak MOSCOW of the Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) . Marian is good friends with fellow Slovakian , Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers . He married his long - time girlfriend Jana Ferová on July 17 , 2010 in Trenčín . Their daughter , Mia , was born in September 2011 .