CRICKETS AND KETTLE DRUMS

The bpisports.com column WHERE THE GLASS IS ALWAYS HALF-EMPTY

#4 - HOSSA HAT TRICK

BY TREVOR W. RILEY

MAY 26, 2010

Chicago Blackhawk forward Marian Hossa has scored seven career hat tricks (3 or more goals in a game), but its the unconventional 8th brim flip that he'll attain by June 11, 2010 that will be his most memorable...for all the wrong reasons.

Hossa begins his 3rd consecutive Stanley Cup Finals journey v. the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, with his 3rd different Finals team (2008 Pittsburgh, 2009 Detroit, 2010 Chicago). I'm not usually big on statistical trends, but I'm rooting for Hossa's 3rd Cup loss and here's why.

Feel free to write this off if you like as its a bit of revisionist history, but I told a good friend of mine before the NHL playoffs that my only prediction was that the Chicago Blackhawks would make the Stanley Cup Finals and lose.

Aside from my selfish urge to be right, I will impart some other reasons to bet the mortgage on the Flyers (don't, really lol). Marian Hossa hasn't scored a hat trick since Pittsburgh acquired him from the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2007-08 season, thus he's due...unconventionally of course. Philadelphia is located Pennsylvania which is a Stanley Cup Finals bugaboo state for both Hossa and his 'Hawks. Marian Hossa is 1-5 playing in Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena the last 2 seasons. The Chicago Blackhawks last made the Stanley Cup Finals v. the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992, losing twice in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena en route to a 4-0 Pens sweep. Did I mention that lower-seeded Penguins (3rd seed) defeated the #2 seed Blackhawks?

Though history seems to have been unkind to both parties, I will give Chicago fans a glimmer of hope as far as Hossa is concerned. In his first Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh in 2008, his team won 2 games. He moved west to Detroit for his second Finals in 2009, and his team won 3 games. He moved west again to Chicago for this 2010 run, and I guess the logical progression says that his team wins 4 games, which of course would mean the championship...

Alas Blackhawk fans, the 3rd time isn't the charm. Despite Hossa's 2 future series goals (a vast improvement over his goose-egg in seven games a season ago), his Quaker State doom and gloom will override his western winning ways; Flyers in 6. As Jay Z might say if he agreed with this column, "Hossa? No suh (no sir)".

Well that's a wrap for column 3, episode 4 of CNKD. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or other feedback, feel free to send them along via email to cnkd2010@aol.com. There's 4 down and 999,996 to go. Peace.