Apr 1, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) skates past Minnesota Wild right wing Jed Ortmeyer (41)during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Marian Hossa is a winger for the Chicago Blackhawks. Whether he plays on the right or the left, he plays the same kind of game. He has had the same goal in his mind as everyone else does, winning the Stanley Cup. He hasn’t had the peachiest of times trying to win the Cup, but he eventually got his stuff together and made it work. Marian Hossa had quite a journey to the Stanley Cup.

It all started in his sophomore season. He was drafted in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators with the 12th pick. He played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the second season he played for the Sens. They made the playoffs every year that he played for them except for his rookie season. After the lockout of the 2004-05 season, Hossa signed a three year contract extension with the Senators, but a deal was made that same day to send him and another player to the Atlanta Thrashers for Dany Heatley.

While he played in Atlanta for three years, he made a mark. He combined his Atlanta stay for 248 points. This included his second season as a 100 point season. He made sure people knew he was serious, and that he was. He was later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins with Pascal Dupuis for three players and a draft pick.

On the Penguins, Marian Hossa started to get Cup crazy. He contributed 26 points in 20 games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, only to lose to the Detroit Red Wings. This sparked an emotional note in him, so he signed with the Detroit Red Wings the next season as an unrestricted free agent. Playing for the Red Wings, a team that knew how to win a Stanley Cup, he felt confident that Detroit was going to be the team to win with. The unspeakable happened though, and the Red Wings met the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals for a second time. Hossa had provided 15 points in 22 games, only to lose to his former Pens.

Now that he had lost to the Red Wings, then went to Detroit and lost to Pittsburgh, he was in an emotional state that seemed never ending. He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks to help lend a hand to their organization. In his first season as a Blackhawk, he had 51 points in 54 games. They went to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He again scored 15 points in 22 games, helping the Chicago Blackhawks become the 2009-10 Stanley Cup.

The reason this story is incredible is because of his journey. He tried his whole career, and then got traded to a cup-contending team in Pittsburgh. After losing, he went to the team that had beat him the season before. Then he faced his former Penguins, and lost in the Finals. Instead of trying to jump back to Pittsburgh, he went to another Cup-contending team, the Chicago Blackhawks, which he finally reached the Stanley Cup. Now he has made a name for himself in Chicago, which is a great team to be associated with. If you asked what teams that Marian Hossa has played for, many will say Chicago and Detroit, and some could say Pittsburgh. Not many people would remember Ottawa or Atlanta, but they definitely molded the player he is today, the one who helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup. He finally reached his dream, but it took a long, exhausting journey to get there.

Apr 13, 2011; Vancouver, BC, CANADA; Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa (81) during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

April 3, 2012: Sunrise, FL, USA; Winnipeg Jets left wing Andrew Ladd (right) celebrates with teammate defenseman Tobias Enstrom (left) after scoring the winning goal in overtime against the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center. The Jets won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Andrew Ladd has been bounced around from team to team. First he started with the Carolina Hurricanes. He helped win the cup with them. Then he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. He won the cup there, too. Then he was shipped off to the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers, as everyone knows, were relocated to Winnipeg. They were going to be the Winnipeg Jets, the team that relocated Phoenix. He is looking to be able to lead this team to the Stanley Cup Finals and hoist the cup in the Jets jersey. This is Beyond the ‘C’: The Story of Andrew Ladd.

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Apr 10; Newark, NJ, USA; Fans of the former NHL franchise, the Quebec Nordiques rally outside the Prudential Center before the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

We all remember last year when the possibility of a return to Winnipeg seemed more real than ever. That possibility became a reality when True North Sports purchased the Atlanta Thrashers, moved them to Manitoba and christened them the new Jets. Could the same be happening in Quebec?

According to TSN.ca and other news outlets, a deal has been finalized by Quebec City and media company Quebecor to construct a $400 million arena that could hold about 18,000 people in time for September 2015. As part of the agreement, if the media conglomerate is able to purchase a NHL franchise to call the new arena home, it would pay $63.5 million for naming rights to the arena, plus $5 million annually in rent. The agreement would also give the company exclusive rights to manage the arena.

If Quebecor is unable to purchase a franchise, it would pay $33 million for naming rights and about $3.15 annually in rent.

“There are no more obstacles…no more uncertainty about the construction of the amphitheater,” said Pierre Karl, CEO of Quebecor, at a news conference announcing the agreement.

Quebec has been without an NHL franchise since 1995, when the Nordiques relocated to Colorado to become the Avalanche.

With an arena on the way, the focus now shifts to finding a team to be its biggest tenant. In the cross hairs of perspective owners are the Phoenix Coyotes and the New York Islanders. (more…)