Marian Hossa was not on the plane Friday when the Blackhawks departed for Europe. Hossa caused quite the uproar this offseason, electing to go under the knife after signing the biggest contract in Blackhawks history (12 years, $62.8 M). The Blackhawks say
they were informed of his shoulder problem prior to the signing and chose to sign him anyway. Hossa admits the injury was the cause for his poor performance for the Red Wings in last year’s playoffs.
‘It was my decision [to have surgery] because I felt it was getting really bad, really worse when I tried to lift something,” he said. ”I was taking inflammatories almost every day, and that’s not something I’d like to take every day.”
”We can’t talk about injuries when we’re in the playoffs. We’ve got to be quiet,” he said. ”People can say whatever they want, but they don’t see what’s happening inside. That’s just how it is. Raising my arm, I basically couldn’t do it. It was so tiring. If I lifted some light weight I couldn’t raise my arm. It was that bad.”
Hossa had his surgery on July 24. He is expected to return in late November. If you’re fantasy team can make due without him until his return he will make an excellent winger for your playoff push.
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