Blackhawks’ Hossa might miss start of season
So did the Chicago Blackhawks not do their homework before signing Red Wings free agent winger Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8 million contract?
That’s a question many around the NHL are asking in the wake of the news that Hossa is rehabilitating an injured rotator cuff, which might be torn.
Chicago GM Stan Bowman called Hossa’s injury “relatively minor” but did not rule out surgery that could sideline the five-time All-Star for the start of the 2009-10 season. Any surgery could cost Hossa at least a few months off the ice.
Hossa, who led the Wings in scoring last year but flopped in the playoffs, will wait to see if the shoulder responds favorably. If it doesn’t, Bowman said Hossa would have surgery to repair it but that it “would be a last resort.”
Bowman said Hossa injured the shoulder during the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, but Wings GM Ken Holland says that Hossa played all last season — his only one with Detroit — with a slightly torn rotator cuff.
Holland said the organization wasn’t scared off by it. The Wings, in fact, offered Hossa a long-term deal worth $50 million. Chicago officials say they were well aware of the injury.
`We were aware he had a sore shoulder when we negotiated with his agent,” Bowman said. “It was nothing he couldn’t play with. It’s not a major injury. They were very open with us.”
The Hawks got the first medical report from Hossa’s agent during the contract talks. They had him examined by team doctors more recently, after the contract had been signed. Bowman said that’s not unusual.
Hossa appeared in 74 games for the Red Wings last season and scored 40 goals and 71 points. He hasn’t missed more than 10 games in a season since 1998-99 with Ottawa.
The NHL regular season begins Oct. 2.
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