Marian Hossa reached a significant milestone in the Chicago Blackhawks’ home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, becoming the 44th player in NHL history to score 500 goals when he tallied during a power play at 5:04 of the second period.
It was the first goal of the season for Hossa, who joined Chicago legend Stan Mikita (541_ and Peter Bondra (503) as the only Slovakian-born players to hit the plateau. The 37-year-old also became the fifth to score No. 500 as a member of the Blackhawks, a feat also accomplished by Mikita, Bondra, Bobby Hull and Michel Goulet.
Hossa is the fourth active member of the 500-goal club, joining Jaromir Jagr (749) of the Florida Panthers, Jarome Iginla (612) of the Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (525). Jagr ranks third on the all-time list behind Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).
The milestone goal was the 15th scored by Hossa against Philadelphia in his career. He has victimized Florida the most, netting 32 tallies versus the Panthers.
Selected by Ottawa with the 12th overall pick in the 1997 draft, Hossa made his debut with the Senators in 1997-98, recording one assist in seven games. He began his goal-scoring spree the following season, netting 15 in 60 contests before rattling off 12 consecutive 20-goal campaigns – recording at least 24 in each.
Hossa has reached the 40-goal mark three times, scoring a career-high 45 with Ottawa in 2002-03. He also has collected 593 assists in 1,240 games with the Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion and five-time All-Star, Hossa has registered 52 goals and 97 assists in 201 career playoff games.
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