Marian Hossa - Marián Hossa: My Journey from Trencín to the Hall of Fame

Contents

Foreword by Joel Quenneville

When I think of Marin Hossa, I think of the perfect hockey playerno maintenance, smart, comes to play every night, plays the right way, plays in all situations. We had some different kinds of players on our Blackhawks teams, but he was the one guy that would always be doing the right things in all areas. You were almost spoiled that you had him on your team knowing that. Sometimes you might have even overlooked him or just taken for granted that he was always getting the job done.

Before I coached him, I always thought he was a good player. I had coached against him when he was with Ottawa, Atlanta, and Detroit. You knew he did some things that not many guys can do when he put his stick down and protected the puck. You just couldnt touch it because he was so strong on his stick and the puck wasnt coming out of that area. I liked how he prepared and knowing that he got the job done. It was pretty amazing coming from Detroit and Pittsburgh and how many Cup finals he had been to in a row. After us, he was in five Cup finals in eight years, pretty amazing stuff. He was always a key factor. He was such an important guy on your team. You never had to worry about him not being ready to go, or that somethings wrong with Hoss. He just did his job quietly and in the right way. I think he always was the most respected guy because he was such a nice, classy player, a classy guy. He wasnt one of the louder guys in the room, but he brought that professionalism that was important to our team.

I think back to when he got hit by Raffi Torres in that 2012 Phoenix series. That might have been the maddest I have been in a hockey game on the bench. Just knowing that when you lose him, your opportunity is going to be limited. It turned out it was. But it was good to see him come back after that.

In 2013, he missed Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins with an injury. He came back in Game 4, and what a difference it was. We had some guys playing through different kinds of injuries. He was very upfront about it, and told me, Hey, Im limited. I can only do this. I trusted his input and decision-making in doing what was best for the team. He was limited, but he was still giving it everything. He still did everything right, and it was a big factor. In that series, I dont think people gave us a chance when we were down 21. He came back and we won three games in a row. I think his contribution meant a lot to the team. It wasnt just every shift on the ice that he played, but it was just his presence alone, and doing the right things. You know, Games 5 and 6 could have gone either way.

It was an easy decision for me to put together Hoss and Jonathan Toews on a line. You had Jonny who had the puck a lot. You had Hoss who had the puck a lot. You had the intensity, the consistency. The matchups, the importance of that line, winning the chance battles, outscoring the opposition, they were definitely influential in winning the game. I think certain individuals play the game to score points or get goals. Those two guys played to win the game , and I think as a coach you dont have a bigger appreciation for anything than that. I think that makes a big difference, having players that make the team the priority.

We obviously knew about his skin condition. We just basically left it to him if he wanted to practice. If you dont think its a good idea, dont skate today. He basically had carte blanche. I think everyone respected him and understood he was doing what was best for the team and his health. Not too many players had that kind of pass with me.

When Hoss ultimately decided to retire, I thought we missed a lot of pace and continuity to our game. He was just so consistent. He was good shift after shift and always did the right thing. He was the captain in providing that type of assuredness. And then all of a sudden, it was sporadic. We still had great leaders and great guys around the team, but I thought he was always the most consistent in playing the right way.

I was honored and flattered that Hoss asked me to write this. I think its a great, great honor. Ive been fortunate to coach special players and some of the games best, and hes a part of that. I wish him nothing but the best. Hes a tremendous man, a tremendous family man, and the Slovakians got a special, special hockey player.

Introduction

Picture a young Marin Hossa coming home from a long day of school in Slovakia. Hockey, of course, was on my mind. We lived in very plain-looking, Communist-era apartment buildings in Trenn, and outside was a playground where all the kids gathered to play hockey. My brother, Marcel, and I would be among the kids out there competing every day for our make-believe Stanley Cup. One day I would bring the real thing back to the same neighborhood. But Im getting ahead of myself.

So, young Marin Hossa comes home from schoolwhat do I do first? I dont actually remember this myself, but my mom, Mria, says my priority when I got home was always to fold my clothes nicely and put them on top of each other. If you knew me, which hopefully you will after reading this book, that wouldnt be surprising. Im that way now as an adult and apparently was that same way as a kid.

Im mostly a pretty easygoing person. You can ask all my former teammates and coaches. As Patrick Kane will tell you later, Im someone you probably wouldnt mind sitting next to in the dressing room. I like to have fun, have a laugh, and just an overall good time. But when it comes to my business, which was previously playing hockey and is now actually real businesses, I liked to be more serious and definitely prepared. Ive always believed you have a better chance of success if youre prepared, and thats how I always approach everything. Part of that is being organized.

So, yes, I like to have my clothes folded and in a certain place. I like to be organized. I want to know exactly what Im getting into, whether its purchasing a new household appliance or investing in a business. For example, my wife, Jana, recently wanted a new vacuum, a smaller one, for the kitchen, so she wouldnt have to pull out the larger one every time she needed it. I wanted to do some research before we bought one. There was one from a German company, Miele, I thought was the best from what I had read, but she liked another one. Shes like, Jesus Christ, I cant even buy the vacuum I like. I told her you can buy the one you like, for sure, but I was going to buy the Miele one as well, because I knew it was better. She responded, we dont need two vacuums in the kitchen. So, we bought the vacuum I liked, and its great. When it comes to these types of gadgets, I know what I like. Dont get me wrong, when it comes to strollers or kids stuff, she can pick anything and I wont interfere at all. Its her choice all the way.

As an NHL player, I prepared for big games in that same fashion. If we were playing against Scott Stevens and the New Jersey Devils, I read the scouting reports and looked for his weaknesses. What can I do against him? Maybe I can use my speed behind him? If I try to go at him direct, hes probably going to hit me so hard. Basically, I wanted to prepare the best I could to be successful on the ice. Even with something as simple as offseason workouts, I tried to stick to exactly what the plan was going into it. The attention to detail was crucial for me. If I didnt follow the details or skipped a workout, it would eat me up. I honestly wouldnt be able to sleep at night.