Marian Hossa's #81 to be retired by the Chicago Blackhawks

Last week the Chicago Blackhawks announced that Hall of Famer Marian Hossa will officially retire as a member of the team after signing a one day contract.

Now, the team has announced that Hossa's #81 will hang from the rafters of the United Center forever.

"The Blackhawks and city of Chicago hold a special place in my heart. Making the commitment to this organization in 2009 was the best decision I ever made," Hossa said in a prepared statement on the team's website. "For all the memories my teammates and I made together, including three Stanley Cup wins, my family created just as many off the ice. The fans embraced us as one of their own, treating us so kindly wherever we went. Retiring as a Blackhawk is a dream come true and I couldn't imagine officially ending my career in any other way. I would like to thank the Wirtz family for making this a reality and for all they have done for me since I signed with the team." 

Hossa joined the Blackhawks in 2009-10 as a free agent and immediately helped put the team over the top. After being on the losing end of both the 2008 (Pittsburgh Penguins) and 2009 (Detroit Red Wings) Stanley Cup Finals, Hossa finally prevailed in 2010 with the Blackhawks and helped lead the team to Cup wins in 2013 and 2015, as well. He was a two-way monster, equally adept at setting up plays in the offensive zone and breaking up plays in the defensive zone. To me, he was one of the most graceful skaters in the entire NHL and made things look easy mostly because of his powerful stride. He was an absolute horse out on the ice and joy to watch.

More than that, Hossa was a quiet leader who went about his business in his own way. While Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook usually garner most of the headlines when it comes to that Blackhawks team, Hossa was as big a part, if not a bigger part, than any of those players. Hossa was a complete player and his impact on the team cannot be overstated.