Hossa announces retirement after 19-years

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Long-time NHL player Marián Hossa has announced his retirement. He made the news official on Saturday via Slovak newspaper Novy cas.

He spent the past eight seasons as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. He leaves the game despite having three years left on his contract.

Marián Hossa attempts to get the puck from Nashville Predators Kevin Fiala (Getty Images)

The 39-year-old right winger played in 73 games during the 2016-17 season. He had 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points.

Prior to the 2017-18 season, the Blackhawks announced that Hossa was dealing with a progressive skin disorder. He missed the entire 2017-18 season, as he underwent treatment. He was placed on injured reserve on October 4th, 2017.

While he announced his retirement, as he can no longer play with his skin disorder, he does not plan on officially retiring until the end of his contract in 2020. This way, he could still collect money from the Blackhawks.

During his eight-year career with the Blackhawks, he was a core member of the team, including helping the team to three Stanley Cups. In 534 games, he had 186 goals and 229 assists for 415 points.

He also won Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. He played one season each with each team.

In his career, he also played seven seasons with the Ottawa Senators and three more seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers franchise.

Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde suspended

The NHL has suspended Philadelphia Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde for two games without pay. He was suspended following an elbow to Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews during NHL Game No. 1048 in Chicago on Wed., March 16.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspended on Friday afternoon. The incident happened at 19:30 of the first period.

VandeVelde was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing in the game.

He will forfeit $7,6661.30 based on his average annual salary under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The money will go into the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The Flyers defeated the Blackhawks in the game, 3-2, from the United Center in Chicago. The Flyers had goals by Brayden Schenn, Ryan White and Radko Gudas.

The Blackhawks had goes from Toews and Marián Hossa.

With the win over the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, the Flyers are back in the playoff picture.

VandeVelde will miss Saturday afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. He’s also expected to miss Monday night’s game against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

He may return on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. If he doesn’t return for that game, he could return on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Co.

Washington Capitals sign center Mike Richards

The Washington Capitals have signed center Mike Richards to a one-year deal. It’s a pro-rated contract for the rest of the season.

Richards had to meet with the NHL earlier today to get clearance to resume his playing career. He was arrested this summer for having drugs on his person without having a prescription for them in Canada.

Shortly thereafter, he was released by the Los Angeles Kings. This will be his third team in his career after having played for the Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 30-year-old has 482 points in his career, including 179 goals and 303 assists. He also has 577 penalty minutes in 710 career games.

He is second in active players with 28 short-hands goals and that only trails Marián Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks with 30.

This is an early birthday gift for Richards, who hasn’t played all season. He turns 31-years-old on Feb. 11.

He spent four-years with the Kings and six-years with the Flyers. With the Flyers, he had a 133 goals and 216 assists for 349 points in 453 games.

With the Kings, he scored 46 goals and had 87 assists for 133 points in 257 games. He also won two Stanley Cups with the Kings in 2012 and 2014.