Marian Hossa hits 20 goals on the season - again
Out of all active players, he has the third most 20-goal seasons.
An empty-net goal is, of course, a goal - and now, Marian Hossa has 20 goals this season.
It’s the 15th season of his 18-year career. Two of those seasons in which he didn’t hit 20 markers were as a member of the Blackhawks: one in the lockout year, during which he would have been on pace for 35 goals anyway; and last season, in which he scored just 13.
Via the Elias Sports Bureau, Hossa is third amongst all active NHLers in 20-goal seasons. Only Jarome Iginla (17) and Jaromir Jagr (19) have more.
Of course, last season he had just a 6.8 shooting percentage, well below his career average. This year he’s at 17.9%, well above - even though he’s shooting at a reduced rate so far this season.
Hossa, 38, and his resurgence have been great this year - he’s already passed his points total from 2015-16 in 14 fewer games. He’s on pace for 52 points, which is still more than the previous season’s totals, but lower than every year since the lockout.
Then again, how many 38-year-olds are on pace for 50+ point seasons in the NHL? He’s a really special player, and even as his scoring continues to generally go down as he gets older, he can still clearly play.
