He was everything they needed and more. When Marian Hossa became the greatest free-agent signing in Chicago sports history on July 1, 2009, all bets were off and the sky was the limit for the Blackhawks.
When the Hawks were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Red Wings in 2009, they knew they were close but were lacking something.
"I know he really appreciated coming to the Hawks at a crucial time because we needed something to get over that hump and I think he was a huge part of it," former Hawk forward Bryan Bickell, who played a role on all three recent Chicago Cup teams (2010, 2013, 2015) with Hossa said over the phone after Hossa's big news was announced.