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Should Marian Hossa make the Hockey Hall of Fame?

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 18: Marian Hossa #81 of the Chicago Blackhawks holds up his 500th goal puck following the game against Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center on October 18, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 18: Marian Hossa #81 of the Chicago Blackhawks holds up his 500th goal puck following the game against Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center on October 18, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

Marian Hossa scored goal No. 500 on Tuesday night, as the Chicago Blackhawks put a seven-spot up against the Philadelphia Flyers. Like the boss that the Hoss is, he said he only wanted to score a legitimate goal to reach the milestone – if he had a shot at an empty net, he would have passed the puck.

The goal gives Hossa, 37 years old, 500 goals and 1,093 points in 1,240 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers (RIP), Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators, who drafted him in 1997 and with whom he has still played the most games – although the Blackhawks will have that honor by next week.

Those numbers rank him fourth among active players in both categories. In goals, he trails Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla and Alex Ovechkin. In points, he trails Jagr, Joe Thornton and Jarome Iginla.

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Hossa became the 44th player in NHL history to score 500 goals. Before steroids ruined baseball, 500 home runs was basically your ticket to Cooperstown; not so 500 goals in the NHL. Keith Tkachuk (538), Pat Verbeek (522), Pierre Turgeon (515), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Peter Bondra (503) remain on the outside of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s walls, stuck in a purgatory of “among the greatest of all-time, but not immortal” players. (We won’t even mention the ridiculousness of Dave Andreychuk being stuck in that group despite 640 goals. Well, guess we just did.)

So having established both goals and points benchmarks:

Is Marian Hossa a Hall of Famer?

There’s been a cottage industry around this debate in recent years. From 2014, before Hossa won his third Cup with the Blackhawks, The Hockey News writes:

Hossa does not have any tangible recognition for his efforts. Compare that to Pavel Datsyuk, a player who should finish his career with 1,000 points and two Stanley Cups. Like Hossa, Datsyuk is a player who probably could have piled on a significant number of additional points if he weren’t so defensively responsible. But Datsyuk has three Selke Trophies – and four Lady Byng Trophies – on his mantle and nobody who knows hockey would suggest that Datsyuk won’t be a Hall of Famer the moment he becomes eligible.

Perhaps a better comparison would be Steve Larmer, another player who excelled at both ends of the ice without winning a Selke Trophy and won one Stanley Cup during his career. Despite the fact his name seems to come up every year, Larmer isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet and may never find his way there.

The problem for Hossa is that he has never been the centerpiece of a powerhouse team. The closest he ever came was 2006-07 when he scored 100 points and was the leading scorer for the Atlanta Thrashers, a team that won the Southeast Division regular-season championship, but was swept in the first round of the playoffs. And the years that he has been on championship-caliber teams, he has been a secondary player.

Ken Campbell surmises that Hossa “is not a shoo-in and he’ll probably have to accomplish more in the next couple of years to become a good bet for the Hall of Fame.”

Sean McIndoe, then of Grantland, had this take on Hossa last year:

Let’s assume Hossa sticks around and plays well for at least a few more years, which should get him into the range of 530 goals and 1,150 points. Those are decent numbers, but not overwhelming. Assuming he doesn’t get a sympathetic Selke push in the coming years, he’ll retire without any individual awards — but with two or three (or more) Cup rings.

On paper, I don’t love his case. But here’s the thing: I’ve asked a few people in the hockey world about Hossa, and whenever I do, their eyes light up. They gush about him. The level of respect for his game may be as high as any active player I can think of.

Assuming he doesn’t become eligible in a year with an unusually packed class, my prediction is that his candidacy will generate a ton of debate, with the usual rhetoric on both sides that makes these sorts of conversations so much fun. But ultimately, I’m betting that the selection committee will remember that it’s not the Offensive Hall of Fame, it’s the Hockey Hall of Fame, and hockey is played at both ends of the ice. I think he’ll get in on the first try, and nobody will really bat an eye.

McIndoe hits on something important here, which is likeability.

It’s no secret that the Hall of Fame selection process is more personal than political. Ask Eric Lindros or the family of the late Pat Burns about that. When you have a player like Hossa that’s universally loved – by peers, rivals, coaches, journalists and executives – that also has the numbers, it’s basically like being on a saturated Slip-n-Side into induction weekend.

So what you have with Hossa is three different arguments: on-ice accomplishments, and overall impact and quality of character.

He wins the last category, going away, as we’ve established. Hard-working character player who could get you 40 goals and then make the best defensive play of the game. The worst you could say about him was that he went mercenary to try and win a Stanley Cup after the Penguins trade. But hell, if Ray Bourque’s in …

He wins with on-ice accomplishments, with the 500 goals and the 1,000 points, scoring 188 of them in what was a very dead-puck era (and also his ages 20-25 seasons). His defensive acumen is well-lauded. He also had 48 points in 67 playoff games during his three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks.

Where he loses is overall impact. Yes, he was on three Cup champions, and thanks to Glenn Anderson the Hall of Fame is now safe for multiple Cup winners who at no time were even the third best player on any of their teams.

But while NHL Awards can be criticized for being myopic, the fact is that Hossa has never even been a finalist for one outside of being the runner-up for the Calder in his rookie season. Not even the frickin’ Lady Byng! He broke the Hart Trophy top 10 once. He never was a Selke finalist, although the award’s inherent bias against wingers can be blamed.

The good news for Hossa is that the Hall of Fame selection committee hasn’t historically weighed individual awards as heavily as one might imagine they would. (Probably because there aren’t enough writers in the room.) Glenn Anderson never contended for one. Dino Ciccarelli, in the Hall of Fame as well with 608 goals, didn’t either. Neither did Mark Recchi, who should be in the Hall soon with three Cups and 577 goals, although Hossa has a higher goals-per-game average.

So let’s answer the question: Is Marian Hossa a Hall of Famer?

When you consider how this Hall of Fame picks its immortals, the answer is “yes.” Unless it’s a total down year, it’s hard to imagine that he’s first-ballot – that does seem to still mean something to the Hall. But he should be in, based on the totality of his career, his role in a de facto dynasty, the similar players in ahead of him and the way the hockey world fawns over him.

And while we’d NEVER assign this intent to the valorous, unimpeachable Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee – Hossa would also be the first of many current Blackhawks to make the Hall of Fame, bringing that bandwagon of fans to Toronto to celebrate not only the player but that team.

Let it never be said Hossa wasn’t a money player …

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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