Jersey Retirements After Hossa: Who's In and Who's Out?

Two weeks ago, a rare sense of joy overcame Blackhawks fans as Marian Hossa signed a one-day contract to retire with Chicago. To sweeten the pot further, the organization announced that Hossa's #81 will be raised to the rafters next season—a move that management seldom makes in this city.

The entirety of the Blackhawks' 96 year existence has only resulted in six retired numbers, and Hossa (now the seventh) is the first since the joint retirement of Keith Magnuson and Pierre Pilote (#3) in 2008. Preceding them in this honor is #18 Denis Savard, #35 Tony Esposito, #1 Glenn Hall, #9 Bobby Hull, and #21 Stan Mikita.

But now that #81 is joining that group, there is speculation of who truly deserves to have their number retired from the 2010-15 dynasty. In my opinion, the Blackhawks should continue their tradition of awarding this achievement on very rare occasions—but I have a solution for those who don't make the cut. Here's my list—in the form of three groups—of who's in and who's out following the decision to retire Hossa's number:

Group A: Easy choices, no argument:


We'll all agree on this one—Duncan Keith's #2, Jonathan Toews' #19, and of course Patrick Kane's #88 are absolutely shoe-in's to have their numbers in the rafters. It doesn't take much context or research to argue that fact.

Additionally, and some may not agree with this, but I believe that it's an easy decision to do a joint retirement of Chris Chelios and Brent Seabrook's #7. I wouldn't retire Seabrook on his own, nor would I Chelios, but collectively I feel it's a no-brainer given the roles played by both.

An interesting piece here is the consideration of Steve Larmer's #28. His resume fits the caliber needed for this honor, considering he won the Calder trophy his rookie season, Blackhawks leader in power-play goals, third place in goals, second in game-winning goals, in his 11 year tenure with the team before moving on to win the Stanley Cup with the Rangers.

My opinion, he absolutely deserves his number retired. The issue? He has noted many times in the past that he feels "unworthy" to share in the prestige with the likes of Hall, Hull, Mikita, Esposito, etc. His exact words were "Thank you, but I think Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito and the Denis Savard... are kind of in a league of their own." Furthermore, Larmer added humbly that "...The numbers that they have retired up there are the ones that should be." Steve Larmer is a class-act, and we'll see in the near future if the 'Hawks decide to honor him in that fashion.

Group B: Should have numbers retired, based on Hossa's numbers:

I'll start here; Blackhawks who have only won one cup in Chicago are out of contention for this group. Truly impactful players, especially in the Blackhawks' case, are consistent through the years. This eliminates certain beloved and impactful players and moves them to Group C, no matter the role they played in their given year.

First and foremost on this list is #50 Corey Crawford. Say what you will, Crow was the most underrated superstar goalie of the 2010's—and his two cups exemplify that. Beyond that, no one wears #50 anyway. It's a weird number, put it in the rafters. Next, and strictly based on shockingly similar stats and a longer tenure in Chicago, Patrick Sharp's #10. Not to cut this short, but based on numbers alone Sharp probably should have had his number retired before Hossa.

Last on this list, and many may not agree, I have Niklas Hjalmarsson's #4 going up in the rafters as well. In the end I very well may be incorrect, but Hjalmarsson is statistically the best defensive defenseman in NHL history. Yes, Seth Jones suiting up in #4 will likely bury any hopes of this though.

Group C: (Controversial) Should not have numbers retired:

Maybe not controversial decisions, but certain players from the dynasty deserve some level of honor and recognition in the United Center. This group consists of fan-favorite players who despite not being apart of the organization for as many championships as Groups A and B, contributed immensely to the end-result each year.

In 2013, Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored goals famously 17-seconds apart to eventually lead the Blackhawks to their 2013 Stanley Cup. In 2013 and 2015, Brandon Saad embodied his nickname of «Saadfather», playing as if he was a seasoned veteran between the ages of 22 and 24 years. Scott Darling arguably carried the goaltending load against Nashville when Crawford went cold. All these players and more deserve their own recognition in what I would like to see as a «Shrine of the Dynasty».

ALL the names from the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Stanley Cups should rightfully have their names etched into the United Center in some facet. This alleviates the need to retire too many jerseys, retains the prestige and standard of what it truly takes to have your number retired, and allows for all players (large and small) to get the recognition they deserve.