Hossa continues to defy odds in 19th season
Marian Hossa isn't showing any signs of slowing down as he approaches two decades of NHL experience.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward's 2016-17 campaign was already off to a blistering start, but the 37-year-old took it to the next level with yet another game-winning goal Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Watch: Blackhawks complete comeback with Hossa's OT dagger
Hossa has 11 goals and 17 points in 18 games, and he's been on an absolute tear lately.
Marian Hossa's last 12 games: 10 goals (three of which were game winners) and three assists. #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) November 20, 2016
Those game-winners have all been collected in the last seven contests, with the last two coming in back-to-back games, as Hossa also scored Friday's decisive marker in a victory over the Calgary Flames.
Hossa is now two goals shy of his entire 2015-16 output through less than a quarter of this season.
The veteran is tied with New York Rangers forward Michael Grabner for second in the NHL's goal-scoring race and sits tied for sixth among the league's points leaders early on.
Hossa is also two goals away from tying Gilbert Perreault for 39th on the all-time list, and he's 15 points from equaling Darryl Sittler's career total of 1,121.
He passed Peter Bondra to become the highest-scoring Slovakian-born player in NHL history earlier this month, and became the 44th player in league history to score 500 goals when he accomplished that feat in October.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion has been a major reason why the Blackhawks boast the NHL's second-best record, with eight wins in their last 10 games.
Hossa is clearly destined for the Hockey Hall of Fame when his career concludes, but if he continues producing at or close to his current pace, retirement shouldn't even be an immediate consideration.