On Sunday November 20, 2022, the Chicago Blackhawks put hall-of-famer Marian Hossa’s number, 81, up into the rafters of the United Center and retired his jersey. For those of you who don’t know, this is a great honor only given to the most important players in a franchise’s history. It means that no player on that team can ever wear the retired number again. 

For Hossa, there was no question that his number was going to be retired. He is one of the seven players who were on the team for all three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Hossa spent eight seasons in Chicago and was an integral part of the Blackhawks’ dominant run in the 2010’s. Hossa was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2020. Even though Hossa’s offensive stats might not have always been the  very top of the league, he was one of the best two-way forwards in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over 10 years, and of course the three Cups he played in helped. He finished his career with over 500 goals, over 600 assists, and as a five-time all star. Hossa also played over 1000 games. When Hossa was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2020, everybody knew that his famed number 81 would be in the United Center rafters not long after.

On Sunday, the Blackhawks honored him with a 50 minute ceremony. The other players who won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks were present as well. Those players were Niklas Hjalmerson, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith,  Patrick Kane, and of course the captain, Jonathan Toews. Keith, Kane, and Toews are all pretty much locks for the Hall of Fame and for getting their number hoisted to the rafters of the United Center.

Former Blackhawks analyst Eddie Olczyk spoke to honor Hossa. “When Marian Hossa signed with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2009, it brought instant credibility, belief, and experienced leadership to a team that was on the verge of winning a Stanley Cup,” Olczyk said. “What he brought to Chicago and what he did, will always have a lasting impact on all members of the Blackhawks organization, and on all of you great fans.”

Marian Hossa is one of the best two-way forwards of all time. Hossa did all of the little things that made a team better and was an offensive star. He forechecked and backchecked, he made the right hits at the right time, he was very effective on both the powerplay and penalty kill units, and he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He had a nose for the puck. Hossa was not only a pest on the defensive end, finishing his career with a +/- of 245, but he also played unselfish hockey, as he was willing to put his body on the line for his team, and he was often a pass first player. However, he also consistently put up all star level goal scoring numbers, as he scored over 20 goals in almost every season he played. 

Hossa’s 81 will join the jerseys of Glenn Hall’s 1, Pierre Pilote’s 3, Keith Magnuson’s 3 (wore it before Pilot’s number was retired,) Bobby Hull’s 9, Dennis Savard’s 18, and the late great Stan Mikita’s and Tony Esposito’s 21 and 35. Marian Hossa is the only Chicago Blackhawks player to ever wear the number 81 in the entire over 100 years of the organization, and nobody will ever wear 81 on a Blackhawks sweater again. For the Hawks, there is only one 81, and it belongs to Hossa.