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HAWKS SIGN NHL ALL-STAR MARIAN HOSSA
Chicago, Ill.- Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon announced on Wednesday that the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Marian Hossa (MAIR-ee-uhn, HOH-sa) to a 12-year contract and center Tomas Kopecky (TAW-mahsh, koh-PEHTS-kee) a two-year contract.
“To add Marian, an elite and world-class player, and Tomas, a Stanley Cup Champion, to our exciting young core reinforces our commitment to try to win the Stanley Cup,” Tallon said.
A four-time NHL All-Star, Hossa has played in 11 seasons in the NHL with Ottawa (1997-2004), Atlanta (2005-08), Pittsburgh (2008) and Detroit (2008-09), recording 719 points (339g-380a) in 775 regular season contests. He has appeared in 98 Stanley Cup Playoff games (31g-45a), including reaching the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last two seasons.
Last season, Hossa, 30, led the Red Wings in goals (40) and finished third in points (71) during the regular season before chipping in 15 points (6g-9a) while appearing in all 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Following the regular season, he was named to the 2008-09 NHL Second All-Star Team. The Trencin, Slovakia native was originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round (12th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.
Kopecky, 27, also spent the 2008-09 season in Detroit, his fourth with the club. He finished second on the team with 109 hits while posting career highs with six goals, 13 assists and 19 points in 79 regular season games. The Ilava, Slovakia native also dished out one assist in eight Stanley Cup games with Detroit last season. He has appeared in 183 regular season games with the Red Wings over the last four seasons notching 32 points (12g-20a) and 113 penalty minutes. Kopecky was originally drafted by Detroit with their second choice (38th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft and helped the team capture the Stanley Cup in 2008.
