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have to overcome adversity

Marian Hossa is as close to a living legend as the Chicago Blackhawks have in their dressing room. Younger teammates are eager to call him special and revere him as a role model.It means Im older, Hossa said. Im just glad I can still play.Hossa can still play, and his consistency at both ends of the ice is a piece of what makes the Blackhawks perennial Stanley Cup contenders. Hes 35 now and this season passed the 1,100-game mark, but on a team led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Hossa keeps things together as one of the NHLs best defensive forwards.He just flies on the backcheck. Theres a lot of guys that skate a lot faster going forward than they do coming back to their own end, and hes not that way, Kane said. Hes so good at stripping the puck. Hes also good in these one-on-one battles where more often than not youre going to see him coming away with the puck.He doesnt seem to get any older, either. He seems to get better and better each year.This is Hossas 16th full NHL season and he remains a key cog for the Blackhawks, who have won the Cup twice in the past five years and visit the Washington Capitals on Thursday in the Winter Classic. Hossa is averaging 0.65 points a game, the lowest since his rookie year with the Ottawa Senators, but his two-way game is responsible for preventing more than a few goals against.Teammates past and present marvel at what Hossa can do in the defensive zone and without the puck.Hes got that powerful stride that gets him back in the play easily, said former Blackhawks forward Jeremy Morin, whos now with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And he can take the puck off your stick with ease. Hes so strong on the stick and its always in the right position. He can steal pucks with the best in the league, for sure.That, Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad said, is how Hossa turns defence into offence. In 1,127 games, Hossa has 472 goals and 547 assists.Hossa is 76th on the all-time points list, ahead of Hockey Hall of Famers Pat LaFontaine, Lanny McDonald and Maurice Richard. Hes 52nd in goals, ahead of LaFontaine, Doug Gilmour and Pavel Bure, and third among active players.His career numbers are similar to former Senators teammate Daniel Alfredsson, who retired earlier this month after putting up 426 goals and 682 assists in 1,178 games. But Hossa may be one of the most underrated players in the NHL now and as a result is considered a borderline Hall of Famer at best.Maybe I would have more numbers but maybe some other teams wouldnt want me, Hossa said. Theres an advantage and disadvantage with that. Obviously Im happy how the outcome played out.Hossa has two Stanley Cup rings and appeared in the final two other times. A five-time all-star, the Slovak winger with four Olympic appearances has a case, even if its not easy to quantify.I know (from) being around him and still dominating like he does, I think its his 17th year, hes always been a great player, Saad said. Im not sure exactly the reason, but theres so many little things the guy does, its incredible.Hossa still has six seasons left on his contract at a cap hit of US$5.275 million, so he likely has plenty of time before the Hall of Fame question even comes up. Judging from his assessment of 1,000 career points that he has been lucky, Hossa probably isnt all that worried about it.Truth be told, Hossa has been fortunate to avoid injuries throughout most of his career. The fewest games he played in a full season was 57 in 2009-10.Hossa gets some practices off because of his age and experience, but that doesnt seem to detract from his play. Coach Joel Quenneville calls him a great pro and a player who reinforces what the staff wants out of the team.Defensively and offensively hes got a great thought process, Quenneville said. Game in, game out, you use him in all situations. Hes a very useful player.Before joining Chicago, Hossa was more than just a useful player for the Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. Despite all that, its possible hes still under-appreciated.But not by the Blackhawks.We definitely know how special of a player he is, whether he gets the recognition or not, Saad said. Its pretty surreal to see a guy like that still playing and still doing as well as hes doing.—Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. Lee Smith Jersey . John Albert Elway, 24, was booked into jail early Saturday morning after an incident near a college campus in downtown Denver, according to jail records. http://www.officialraidersgear.com/Raiders-Ted-Hendricks-Draft-Jersey/ .com) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quickly found themselves a new offensive coordinator, and one thats quite familiar with the NFC South. http://www.officialraidersgear.com/Raiders-Charles-Woodson-Draft-Jersey/ . – Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Cornellius Carradine Jersey . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. http://www.officialraidersgear.com/Raiders-Eddie-Vanderdoes-Draft-Jersey/ .com) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and four-time Australian Open titlist Roger Federer were among Mondays fourth-round winners at Melbourne Park.MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact hope lessons learned from two lopsided losses will help prevent a season sweep at the hands of Sporting Kansas City. The Impact were shutout twice by Sporting KC earlier this year — 4-0 on the road on Apr. 19, and 3-0 at home on May 10. The two teams meet for the third and final time this season at Saputo Stadium on Saturday. Catch the game on TSN as part of an MLS doubleheader starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. "Those were tough to digest," said striker Marco Di Vaio, who did not play in the 3-0 loss due to a hamstring injury. "We know that, unless we double our efforts, well lose again. We have to improve, and we have the capacity to do so. We need a full team effort to beat this team." At Sporting Park in April, the Impact (3-8-5) gave up three second-half goals, including two to KC striker Dom Dwyer, for their biggest defeat of the season. In May, Montreal was reduced to 10 men after just 17 minutes when midfielder Collen Warner, who has since been traded to Toronto FC, was shown a red card for handling the ball with his arm in the penalty box. Dwyer converted the ensuing spot kick, and added another goal in the second half. After that game, Impact President Joey Saputo took to Twitter to promise fans that changes were forthcoming. True to his word, Saputo shuffled the roster. In the last two months, the Impact traded Warner for midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran, acquired Mamadou Danso from the Portland Timbers, signed Spanish midfielder Gorka Larrea, sent Jeb Brovsky to expansion side New York City FC, released the injured Nelson Rivas, and added Polish left back Krzysztof Krol. Most recently, after confirming Hernan Bernardello was headed to Cruz Azul in Mexico, Montreal signed Argentine attacking midfielder Ignacio Piatti as a designated player. "We made some good moves and brought in some good quality players," said manager Frank Klopas. "Its taken some time for them to jell, but were a different team. We have to continue to show that on the field." While Danso, Krol and Piatti have yet to see action for the Impact, the positive results have started trickling in. Since that 3-0 home loss to Kansas City in May, Klopas men are 4-3-3 in all competitions, and went undefeated in their final three Amway Canadian Championship games en route to the Voyageurs Cup. "The team is much better now," said Di Vaio, who has yet to score against Sporting KC in six career matches. "Were working as a team, were more confident. We hadnt been working together. Now, were more team-oriented." "We changed our personnel, and we changed our attitude," added captain Patrice Bernier. "Its up to us to prove that our two first games against them, we were a different team, and we werent at our best. Were at home, and we have to remember the lastt time we played against them.dddddddddddd" Since returning from the two-week World Cup break, the Impact have strung together three solid performances. The team registered a scoreless draw against the Whitecaps in Vancouver before beating the Houston Dynamo 3-0 at home. Last week, despite a solid defensive showing, Montreal conceded four minutes into stoppage time for the 1-0 loss against Chivas USA to remain winless on the road this season. Prior to the goal, the Impact had gone 315 successive minutes without conceding, the third longest shutout streak in Major league Soccer this year. The stingy defending, however, hasnt been enough to heave the Impact off the bottom of the MLS standings, where they have been for most of the year. With just 14 points from 16 games, Montreal has the leagues worst record. "Paradoxically, considering the start of the season weve had, were not that far from a playoff spot," said defender Hassoun Camara, whose team is just six points off fifth place in the Eastern Conference. "It may not have been how we wanted to start the season, but now, even in losses like last weeks against Chivas, were really bringing it on the pitch. We have to overcome adversity." To keep second-place Kansas City (7-5-5) at bay, the Impact will have to contain Dwyer, something they couldnt do in the first two encounters this season. The 23-year-old leads the team with 12 goals and a league-high 63 shots. "Hes going to work hard, hes going to make good runs in the box, hes going to fight for everything, and hes going to close down," said Klopas. "Box defending has to be good, obviously. Hes a guy that you have to be aware of for 90 minutes, because the one moment you lose focus and concentration, he can hurt you. "He has a very god mentality right now and hes playing with a lot of confidence." Like the Impact, Kansas City has only conceded once in its last three MLS games. But clean sheets may be more difficult to come by for Sporting in the near future. The team will be without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg for eight weeks after he fractured a bone in his left hand during training on Wednesday. Kronberg, whos played all 17 games for Sporting KC this season, leads the league with seven clean sheets. Backup keeper Andy Gruenebaum will likely get the start against Montreal on Saturday. Notes: On Tuesday, Klopas announced the Impact were still interested in acquiring Canadian international Olivier Occean from Kaiserslautern in Germany. … Sporting have yet to lose when they score first (7-0-4). … Karl Ouimette will be suspended if he receives a yellow card on Saturday. … Centre back Matt Besler will likely make his first appearance for SKC since returning from the FIFA World Cup. … Kansas City has only lost once in its last six MLS matches. 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