In Tren, Slovakia, Marian Hossa will play his “Goodbye Game” against a few of his former teammates. There are a few ex-Islanders from New York who will be donning the skates.
Marian Hossa, 44, is donning a jersey once more even though he will formally leave the NHL in 2022 after a degenerative skin condition ended his playing career in 2017.
In Tren, Slovakia, on Friday, August 18, Hossa will play a “Goodbye Game” with a few former teammates.
The event’s roster can be found here; it includes some former New York Islanders who will be lacing up their skates.
Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chara was selected by the New York Islanders 56th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft. He only played for four seasons before being traded to Ottawa, along with a first-round draft pick and Bill Muckalt, for Alexei Yashin before the 2001–02 season.
Hossa and Chara subsequently joined forces at that point.
Hossa, who was selected by the Senators as the 12th overall pick in 1997, excelled for Ottawa over his seven years with the team. For three seasons, he shared a locker room with Chara before being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in August 2005.
However, Hossa and Chara were friends even before they both became NHL players.
According to ESPN’s Scott Burnside, they were neighbors in Tren in 2013 and had grown up together in Slovakia.
In the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the two engaged in combat, with Hossa and the Chicago Blackhawks winning the series in six games.
Hossa remarked, “I try to joke with him, because he likes to be serious all the time on the ice,” in 2013 (H/t Scott Burnside). “I am aware that he dislikes speaking on the rink. I attempt to make him laugh a little bit by telling him some humorous anecdotes during the faceoff.
They also performed together in the Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010.
Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Satan, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 111st round of the 1993 NHL Draft, played in five NHL seasons.
In 243 games over a three-year period with the Islanders from 2005 to 2008, he amassed 78 goals and 88 assists.
Although Satan never shared the ice with Hossa in the NHL, they did compete together for Slovakia in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics.
In Pittsburgh, Hossa left the Penguins after just one season in 2007–08, while Satan joined the team in 2008–09. They missed each other by a year.
Lubomir Visnovsky
Lubomr Visnovsky spent three seasons with the Blue and Orange from 2012 to 2015, despite not wanting to play for the Islanders after the Anaheim Ducks traded the seasoned defenceman to New York in the summer of 2022.
With New York, Visnovsky played in 112 games and scored 11 goals and had 34 assists.
Visnovsky and Hossa spent time together on the national team from 2002 to 2010, however they never shared the ice in the NHL. Nevertheless, Visnovsky understood the significance of Hossa to Slovakia.
Visnovsky remarked, “He was one of the best Slovak players, if not the best.” “He always put in a lot of effort. He never spoke incessantly. He only succeeded in what he did because of his thinking.