Hossa isn’t Chicago’s Missing Piece
A year ago, Marian Hossa spurned a long term contract with the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins, along with offers from other teams, to go to the face of the economic downturn, Detroit. With no guaranteed contract for the following year it was a surprisingly desperate move to try to win a Stanley Cup for someone who was only 29 years-old at the time and had gone to the playoffs every year but two (both with the Atlanta Thrashers) in his career. Now he’s off to Chicago where he has Red Wings fans worried that he is the missing piece to the Chicago puzzle, a puzzle that hasn’t been solved since 1961.
What is lost in the lore of Red Wing’s history is the franchise’s own 40+ year drought without a cup. In 1997 Ken Holland finally found answer to Detroit’s own jigsaw puzzle. After he cut his own pieces to make them fit there he found that there turns out to be six corner pieces to breaking a hex that lasts over 40 years:
1. An experienced captain who settled into his role as not only the face of the franchise but also as a facilitator after being the one of the most electrifying players in the NHL. Chicago captain Jonathon Toews has a similar style to Yzerman, but next year will be his third in the league and the question will be if he can be a facilitator to Marian Hossa next year.
2. A dynamic young player with great expectations after his initial couple of seasons that delievers in the playoffs. Sergei Fedorov led the Red Wings in points during the 1997 playoffs and was a +5. Patrick Kane has the potential to fit Federov’s role, he was second in scoring on the Blackhawks in ‘09 playoffs. He was also a -9 in the playoffs, the worst on his team. It doesn’t matter how many goals you score when you give up nine more than you score when you’re on the ice. You can watch him lose game #2 of the Conference Finals here. He’s the guy backcheck who gives up on the play about five seconds before Mikael Samulsson makes Khabibulin look like a peewee goalie seeing a slapshot for the first time.
3. An acquisition that adds a new dimension to the team and makes a huge impact in the playoffs. Brendan Shanahan was picked up early in the year and filled the power forward void that was lacking before he arrived, putting up 17 points in 20 games of the playoffs. This is where Chicago is best equipped if, IF Hossa doesn’t disappear like he did last year in the pressure situations.
4. A young defenseman who is just entering the prime of his career. Nobody expects Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook to have the career Nicklas Lidstrom has, but they are two of the best young defensemen in the game and could fit the role when Chicago is ready to make their playoff run.
5. An experienced goaltender. This is possibly the most important part of the whole equation. 1997 saw Mike Vernon in the net to take home the cup. Chris Osgood took over the following year to win after not only watching how it was done the previous season, but also playing in 15 playoff games in the 1996 season. By the time he was ready to carry the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup, he had played in 25 playoff games. Cristobal Huet has exactly zero experience leading his team to a win in a playoff series. The only time he was the #1 goalie in a series, with Montreal, he lost the series in 7 games.
6.Finally, a coach who can put it all together. Scotty Bowman won a slew of cups before coming to Detroit and learned how to deal with all of the personalities and put them on the same path toward Lord Stanley’s coveted Cup. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville hasn’t even been to a Stanley Cup Finals, in fact his conference finals appearance this year the first of his career. He does have Scotty Bowman as an advisor which will accelerate his path to the cup, but Quenneville has to get there for himself before I believe he can come through.
Is Hossa ready to put them over the top? No. Huet is worrisome especially if Chicago doesn’t sign another goalie. Patrick Kane cannot play on both ends of the ice. He put up 70 points and was still a -2 on the year, how is that possible? Red Wings fans, the Blackhawks may challenge for the Central but they are not ready for a Stanley Cup. At least not yet. And when Kane inevitably puts one past Osgood next year, just smile, relax, and watch him give up on a backcheck to lose the game in overtime.
Tags: Blackhawks, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Red Wings
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