Marian Hossa Scores 500 goals, Carey Price Hopes to Start Soon & More

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It finally happened. After 1,240 games spent split between five NHL teams, Marian Hossa has finally scored 500 NHL goals. Hossa ended his 2015-16 regular season with 499 goals, and there’s no doubt that the 37-year-old Slovakian star was anxiously waiting for that milestone goal to come.

Hossa’s 500th tally came at the 5:04 mark of the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. In his long and successful career since being drafted with the 12th overall selection in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Hossa has played for the Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks.

After failing to claim the Stanley Cup with the Penguins, losing to the Red Wings in 2008, and the Red Wings, losing to the Penguins in 2009, Hossa finally caught on with Chicago in 2010. Winning the Stanley Cup is the goal of every NHL player, and since joining the Blackhawks, Hossa has been able to claim three (2010, 2013, 2015).

Usually, personal milestones take a backseat to winning the Stanley Cup for hockey players; for Hossa, with three Stanley Cups already securely under his belt, setting his sights on that 500th goal is not only understandable but encouraged.

How impressive is it to reach 500 NHL goals? Only 44 players in NHL history have ever reached that mark, and the next-closest active players are Patrick Marleau, Shane Doan, Rick Nash, and Joe Thornton who have 482, 397, 394, and 377 goals respectively. The only active players to score more goals than Hossa in the league are Jaromir Jagr, Alexander Ovechkin, and Jarome Iginla.

Hossa was probably already a lock to make the Hall of Fame, but his 500th goal certainly solidifies his case.

Carey Price Hopes to Start Against Coyotes

After making an appearance at the Montreal Canadiens’ 2016-17 home opener, Carey Price has his aim set on making his first start of the season sooner than later. According to Amanda Stein of TSN 690, Price says he lost upwards of five pounds but feels better and is looking to start against the Coyotes on Thursday.

For Price, this will not only be his first start of the season, but it will be his first game in the NHL since blowing out his knee on Nov. 25 of 2015. It’s been a long road to recovery for the Canadiens’ netminder, and while he hasn’t played an NHL game in nearly a whole calendar year, he did suit up for and won, the World Cup of Hockey as a member of Team Canada in September.

Price is one of the best goaltenders in the entire world, winning the Vezina trophy and Hart Trophy in 2014-15 after putting up career numbers. Whether it’s the NHL or international play, Price has been widely considered to be the undisputed top goalie in the world since his 2014 showing with the Canadian squad at the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia when he won gold.

David Moss Announces Retirement Through Twitter

Former NHL-defenseman David Moss announced his retirement from professional hockey through his Twitter account Tuesday. Moss played in 501 NHL games split between the Calgary Flames and Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. In that time, he scored 78 goals and 178 points.

While Moss’ most recent NHL season came in 2014-15, when he played in 60 games and scored four goals and 12 points, Moss did play hockey last season in the Swiss-A league with Biel HC. The veteran had the best offensive season of his career, scoring six goals and 16 points in 19 games.

The odds are stacked against anyone who decides to try and play professional sports for a living. Those odds become exponentially harder when that person is a seventh-round draft pick in the NHL. Despite those overwhelming odds, however, Moss achieved his goal of playing hockey for a living. Not only did he make the NHL, he played in nine seasons and parlayed that into another season overseas.

Odds and Ends

– NHL legend Bobby Orr officially laced up his skates in his first NHL game 50 years ago today with the Boston Bruins. Orr was 18-years-old and his contract paid him $70,000 over two seasons, not including his signing bonus. Orr went on to have one of the greatest careers in NHL history, winning two Stanley Cusp and being widely considered one of the best hockey players in history. Had Orr not suffered injuries throughout his career, many believe he could have been considered the greatest of all time.