Chicago Blackhawks veteran Marian Hossa is a role model in the locker room, where younger teammates revere him. Tampa Bay Rays Gear .It means Im older, Hossa said. Im just glad I can still play.His consistency at both ends of the ice helps make the Blackhawks perennial Stanley Cup contenders. The 35-year-old Hossa passed the 1,100-game mark this season. On a team led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Hossa is 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 0.64 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.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 for the Hall of Fame, 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. Theres so many little things the guy does, its incredible.Hossa still has six seasons left on his contract at a cap hit of $5.2 million, so he likely has plenty of time before the Hall of Fame question even comes up.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.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. Jalen Beeks Jersey . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news. Don Zimmer Rays Jersey .Manager Brendan Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo on Friday that Sturridge pulled his calf muscle in training as he prepared to return from a five-week layoff due to a thigh strain. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1036i-hoby-milner-jersey-rays.html .Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders. NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators withstood every comeback try the Detroit Red Wings threw at them and skated off with a win. Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Fisher has three goals and three assists in Nashvilles past two games. Craig Smith, Nick Spaling, and Roman Josi also scored. "There was emotion. There were lots of goals, sways in momentum, all the things that you have in sports," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "From that standpoint, I thought it was real good." Justin Abdelkader, Pavel Datsyuk, Drew Miller, and Patrick Eaves scored for the Red Wings, who have lost two of three. The teams combined for five goals in a back-and-forth third period, but Nashville never relinquishing the lead. "We found a way to shut it down and get that next one when we needed it," Fisher said. "Thats the sign of a good team, playing against a good team like that, we can win one in the third there." Wilson put the Predators ahead 1:54 into the game with a wrist shot from the high slot that beat goalie Jimmy Howard on the glove side. It was the first shot on Howard, who had been out with a knee injury since Dec. 10. "It wasnt very pretty, and it was a battle all night," Howard said. "To be honest with you, I felt like I was behind the play a lot and just didnt get comfortable in their end. When I thought I was on the angles, I was off the angles." Detroit tied it at 3:00 of the first period when Abdelkader carried the puck from below the Nashville goal line to the left of the net and lifted a backhander high to the stick side of goalie Marek Mazanec. Nashville regained the lead when Smithh scored his team-leading 11th goal at 9:50 of the first. Brent Honeywell Jersey. Skating down the left side on a 3-on-2 rush, Smith pulled up near the left faceoff dot and beat Howard on the short side. Spaling made it 3-1 at 4:24 of the second, but Datsyuk got the Red Wings back within a goal just 35 seconds into the third period with a one-timed shot from the right circle. Fisher stretched Nashvilles lead back to two goals at 5:50. Wilson carried the puck behind the Detroit net, emerged on the right side, and found Fisher on the left side for a shot into an open net that gave him his 10th goal of the season. Fisher set himself up for a Gordie Howe hat trick when he fought Abdelkader late in the second period. Miller made it 4-3 at 11:30, but Wilsons second of the game was scored 37 seconds later off a nice feed from defenceman Seth Jones, who had two assists for the second consecutive game. "It was a good play by (Jones), and I just had to get it up over," Wilson said. "We are definitely more confident out there, and did well defensively." Eaves netted his first goal of the season at 14:52 during a power play to again bring the Red Wings within a goal, 5-4. Josis empty-net, power-play goal concluded the scoring. Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall each had a pair of assists for Detroit. "There were times when we were doing a lot of good things and were sticking to the game plan, but for some reason were losing guys up ice and were not executing in our own zone," Kronwall said. "I thought we made it a little too easy for them at times. They got their chances a little bit too easily." NOTES: Nashville is 15-1-2 when it has scored first this season. ... Wilson has points in three consecutive games. ... Datsyuk has 69 points in 63 career games against Nashville. ' ' '