Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - Playing the role of the popular high school quarterback, Marian Hossa decided to go to the prom with the prettiest girl. And, like said attention-getter ready to go off and be a big man on campus after his magical night, it doesn't look like Hossa plans on sticking with the Detroit Red Wings long.
The most sought-after free agent prize of this NHL offseason, Hossa spurned more money, a longer contract and bigger challenges elsewhere to sign a one- year deal worth a reported $7.4 million with Detroit, the same club that beat Hossa and his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.
In the process, Hossa managed to slap the faces of both competitiveness and logic with one sweep of the pen.
In the same manner that a big fat wallet is the best accessory when cruising through Orange County, the Red Wings just looked that much better with their bruised, swollen, and sometimes toothless grins, positioned next to the Stanley Cup.
Forget that the Penguins have two of the best players in the league on their roster already in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and that the Pens were reportedly offering Hossa a little more than $7 million a season over anywhere from five to seven years. Forget the rumored nine-year deal the Edmonton Oilers had on the table worth $9 million a season. Forget the interest Vancouver, Montreal and Boston showed in the Czech star.
In the end, Hossa picked Detroit. Why? Because it was easier. In contrast, Brian Campbell knows he has a lot of work ahead of him in Chicago, but that didn't stop him from signing a big eight-year deal with the Blackhawks.
Like many title-starved athletes before him, Hossa just wants to get his hands around that elusive Stanley Cup. Logic would dictate that the Penguins finishing as the runner-up in the finals last season makes them the second- best club in the league. That's not good enough for Hossa, who jumped ship to the defending champions.
"In Pittsburgh, I had a really great time, working with great people and a great organization," said Hossa during a conference call on Wednesday. "That was a really tough decision for me to make and at the end of the day, I felt I had a little better of a chance to win the Cup with Detroit."
Hossa chasing a title isn't a bad thing. After all, isn't winning a championship the reason the games are played? Yes, but sports is also a business, as many players constantly remind us. Athletes regularly harp on the concept of financial stability when they get ready to put their names on the dotted line. Yet, Hossa defied this notion by signing just a one-year deal.
One chance to get a title, or try somewhere else. Forget possible injury, or a poor statistical showing that would hinder Hossa's value, which is currently arguably at its all-time highest. After all, Hossa is coming off a season in which he posted 29 goals and 37 assists in 72 games with the Penguins and Thrashers, but finally shed his label as a postseason underachiever with a 26-point playoff performance (12 goals, 14 assists).
"(The Red Wings) have a great team...I know I could get more money somewhere else but the thing I was looking for was the best chance for myself to win the Stanley Cup and I think Detroit is the destination," said Hossa.
Pittsburgh gave up depth and parts of its future when it acquired Hossa from the Thrashers at the deadline this past season, but the forward certainly owes them nothing. The Penguins gambled by going after Hossa despite not being able to sign him to a long-term deal before free agency began. But perhaps he owes the Steel City a little more than a one-year contract with the team that just beat the Penguins in six games to claim the title.
Certainly the Red Wings will enter the 2008-09 season the better of the two teams, despite what the Penguins might do up until then. While Pittsburgh has Crosby and Malkin, Hossa can now hide...ahem...skate behind Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula on offense.
He now has three-time Stanley Cup winner and four-time All-Star Chris Osgood guarding his net rather than the up-and-coming, yet still unproven, Marc-Andre Fleury.
And let's not forget the biggest advantage; a stellar defense in Motown that includes Niklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart. It's a unit that will allow Hossa to cheat a bit and make it, yes, easier to generate offense.
Hossa, who is friends with Detroit's Tomas Kopecky, said on Wednesday that he felt the Red Wings have a similar playing style to the Pens. "I think defensively they handle the puck really well and the two things work together. It's attractive hockey, and it's all about winning and that's what I'm looking for."
Even Red Wings general manager Ken Holland admitted to his team's Web site he was shocked Hossa picked Detroit.
"Heading into the offseason, he was on our wish list, but to think in reality that we would get a shot at him given our commitments heading into the '08-09 season -- we really wanted to keep a lot of our team together -- but in the end Marian made it happen by agreeing to come on a one-year deal."
Hossa was never able to get over the hump in Ottawa. He guided the Senators to the postseason six times only to watch his club exit in the quarterfinals on four occasions. Hossa also made the postseason once in his two full seasons in Atlanta, resulting in yet another first-round exit.
Now he takes his game to Detroit, where he becomes one of many stars on a team that will likely enter next season as the on-paper favorites to repeat as champions.
Little pressure and plenty of help. Just how Hossa wants it.
