On Sunday, the ice hockey club of the National Hockey League Chicago Blackhawks retired Marián Hossa’s number 81. The Slovak played in the NHL from 1997 until 2017. The native of Stará Ľubovňa, eastern Slovakia, who grew up in Trenčín played for 21 seasons for 5 teams in the NHL (Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks). In regular seasons, he earned 1 134 points in 1 309 games, in playoffs, Hossa recorded 149 points in 205 games.
Hossa signed with Chicago in the summer of 2009. During his stay in the windy city, he won three Stanley Cups, earned 415 points in 534 matches and ended his career prematurely in 2017 due to a progressive skin disorder.
As no-one wore 81 in Chicago before Hossa, the retirement of the number means that the Slovak is and forever will be the only player in the club’s history ever to wear the digits on the Blackhawks uniform.
