wingnut40

Too many times I've seen Stuart make crippling turnovers(Game 7 SCF)and when he tries to get into the play he gets caught in it and can't make it back to the point to defend. Lilja stays at home and plays his role. Although, I'm not sure I'd want his ice time that high either.

I don't like this at all. I wish he'd stay and act as a kind of mentor to Ericsson. He might not help offensively, but he's a solid stay at home defenseman and a heck of a lot more defensively responsible than Stuart. Not cool.

This x infinity.

Not him specifically, just players in general. If players are going to play that long, it's not unusual for them to get hurt. And seeing as how he's been playing that long for 3 straight years, it's not surprising he's been getting hurt. Like I said, I'm not trying to play the injury card, but it might be a factor. Personally, I think in 08 he played well because he was just playing, didn't really have anything to lose. In 09 and 10 his rep. was on the line and he might have been trying too hard/was trying to force the play/was playing nervous. That compiled with injures in the Final made for a poor performance. And yes, I understand that you wouldn't want that when signing a player.

It was. Worst day of my life.

Well people here like to say that part of the reason why the Wings haven't been playing well/have been hurt has been because of all the hockey they've played over the past few seasons, leaving little time for rest. Maybe, just possibly, this is the case with Hossa. Going to the Finals 3 years in a row means playing hard for 3ish more months and getting less rest than the rest of the league. It's obvious he hasn't been playing well and to deny that would be foolish, I'm just saying there might be a reason for it. 3 years of long playoff runs = less rest = injuries = poor play.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we win it Wednesday, June 4th 2008?

You guys are right, it's just another excuse. I mean what kind of guy plays more hockey than anyone in the league the last 3 years and then has the nerve to suffer the effects of it. I mean what a pansy. With what he's being paid he has no right to be hurt. He should be smart enough to use that money to buy time off or something so he's not getting hurt all the time.

You sure? 12 goals 14 assists in 08 isn't really a "no-show". And no Crosby didn't inflate his point total because, believe it or not, he's not the godsend everyone thinks he is. In 09 he was hurt(though most refuse to acknowledge it) and in 10 he put up some points in the Fianl. And even if he wasn't, as others have said before, he was making plays and providing a strong forecheck and backcheck.

The Great Marian Hossa Debate will never end. He will never do enough in the future and has not done enough in the past to earn the respect of bitter/fair weather fans. But it can no longer be said that he will never win a Cup. He's played so much hockey over the last 3 years, he's been very polite and gracious when answering questions about his previous losses, and if he didn't show up on the score sheet he still helped out his team. He earned this Cup and more than deserved it.

God did you hear that yell?! I'm so happy for him. He not only deserved it, but earned it also. Vindication is sweet.

Sorry to make you sad. I'm not so much cheering for the Hawks as I am cheering for Hossa. If he was on the Flyers, I'd root for them.

Marian Hossa with the Cup winning goal. Go Hawks!!

Oh my gosh, are we thinking of the same one!?!? The one I always think of was on 96.3 where he was talking about the guy across his street sweeping the leaves off his driveway. Lebda kept slurring "He doesn't even know". One of the funniest things I've ever heard.

If the Blackhawks win tomorrow, I'm gonna start a thread saying how the curse is lifted and other good things about Hossa.

I like how you think. I agree 100%. 3 points in 2 games. Whoo hoo!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/What-We-Learned-The-Marian-Hossa-sympathy-movem?urn=nhl,244696#remaining-content Pretty much sums up what I think.

He had 2 good assists in Game 1, so even if he's not scoring, he's still helping out and that's all that matters.

Cleary's definitely a hard worker and is my favorite player because of it. But if we're talking about underperforming due to injuries, I think the players(regardless of previous history)should be given credit for toughing it out.

It's just that everyone ok with Cleary's bad season and playoffs because he was a warrior and played through an injury, yet there are a million people on this board who hate Hossa for the same reason. It just seems like a double standard to me is all.

Honestly, I'm the only one who sees this thread as slightly hypocritical?

I agree, but if he can't find the score sheet at least he's contributing in some way.

They had a quote from him how he was frustrated he wasn't scoring so he's been working on his defensive end more I guess. And he's always been a great backchecker.

That's exactly why I'm rooting for him. If that was you, how heart breaking would it be to come so close so many times and fail? I get upset when my card is picked 2nd in apples to apples. I can't imagine how heart breaking it would be for it to be something you've chased your whole life.