Hossa Requires Surgery

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jul 24, 2009 2:20PM

We guess new Blackhawks don't have to wait long for their company health insurance to kick in, because just weeks after signing the richest contract in team history, Marian Hossa will require surgery on his injured shoulder. The one he hurt while still a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Hawks' new $63 million man will have surgery today to repair a small tear in his right rotator cuff. It's expected to take Hossa 4 months to heal and rehab from the injury, meaning that when the Blackhawks take the ice this fall he'll be in street clothes and likely to miss the first two months of the season. Wasn't health one of the primary reasons the team chose to sign Hossa and part ways with Martin Havlat this off season? Of course, the five time all-star did also score 40 goals and have 31 assists of the Red Wings.

It was just days ago that 'Hawks GM Stan Bowman said Hossa's bum shoulder was "relatively minor" and that surgery "would be a last resort." Did the team really know the full extent of the injury before inking Hossa to his monster contract and just didn't want to concern the fans if rehab alone was sufficient treatment, or was the boo boo worse than Hossa and his agent has led on?