The darkest times for Marian Hossa were
literally spent in the dark.
For three days the Blackhawks veteran did
nothing but lay in bed in a sleepy daze, day turning to night and back into
day. At one point, he mistakenly told doctors his wife, Jana, was there with
him in his Chicago home instead of where she really was: in Slovakia, eagerly
waiting for an opportunity to speak to her husband on the phone.
"They were long days," Hossa told
the Tribune on Sunday as he recalled the aftermath of his concussion suffered
when he was hit illegally by the Coyotes' Raffi Torres during Game 3 of the
Western Conference quarterfinals April 17. "I was so tired. I'd wake up
and fall asleep again. All of a sudden I'd realize it was nighttime and I
wasn't hungry because I'd feel sick.
"I'd try to open the window and the
light hits you and you realize it's not good. The first three days were the
worst days, but slowly it would become a little bit better and better."
It was then Hossa, 33, began thinking of
the future. Not just about returning to the ice, but also the long-term effects
of the severe concussion brought upon by the hit that ended his season and
resulted in a 21-game suspension for Torres.
"First, you think about your health
and if you'll be able to play again," Hossa said. "And then you look
at the future. Guys with lots of concussions, their quality of life is not the
same after and you don't want to end up like that. Those thoughts come to your
mind."
During that time, Hossa received text
messages from teammates and opponents, including Penguins star Sidney Crosby,
who has a history of concussions that kept him away from the game for much of
last season and put his career in peril.
"He texted me and we chatted for a
little bit," Hossa said. "He went through that whole year so he knows
what he was talking about. He said 'just take your time, don't rush anything.
That's the best way.' "
It was around then Hossa saw the video of
the hit for the first time. Hawks assistant trainer Jeff Thomas , who stayed
with him a few days before heading back on the road with the team, played it on
the computer.
"When you see it in really quick
motion it looks like a regular hit," Hossa said. "But then they slow
it down and go from different angles it was like, jump, elbow was high, hit in
the chin and basically from the blindside, so I had no chance to react to
it."
Then came a text from the man himself,
Torres. He was asking if Hossa would speak to him by phone, and a few days
later the two connected and Torres apologized.
Did Hossa accept the apology from a man who
is a repeat offender of illegal hits?
"At least he called," Hossa said
after a long pause. "Some guys probably wouldn't call. So that was good. I
told him I wasn't happy the way the hit went and I said, 'if you hit me without
the jumping you would hit me clean and I would probably be out for maybe the
rest of the game but I would be back next game.' I told him, 'you can't jump
because you're hurting people.' He said, 'I have lots of time to think about it
now.' Hopefully, he'll learn from that."
After spending much of the next two weeks
by himself, which Hossa said wasn't such a bad thing "because I had the
time to just shut it down," he flew home to Slovakia and was greeted by
his wife and infant daughter, Mia.
"It was a great moment," Hossa
said. "After two weeks of just laying there it was the best thing to see
them."
Slowly, Hossa was able to increase activity
and recently has been playing tennis and golf and ramping up his offseason
workout routine. He also took the time last month to get a tattoo on his right
arm with his daughter's name and the date of her birth.
"I'm biking, adding speed, more weight
and I don't have headaches, so the progress is good," Hossa said.
"I'm looking forward to jumping on the ice and hopefully everything is
going to be good."
After spending the weekend in Chicago for
the Hawks Convention, Hossa will meet with doctors Monday to determine where he
is in the recovery process and then will return to Slovakia to continue
training, with the next big step taking the ice and eventually taking contact.
"Without the contact I feel
fine," Hossa said. "The next thing is going to be on the ice. I want
to see how it is when the contact starts. A little push or shot from behind
could be different than just biking."
If everything goes according to plan, Hossa
will return for training camp in September, and he hopes to be 100 percent
healthy when the regular season begins.
"I believe I'll be fine," he
said.
And what will happen the first time Hossa
finds himself on the ice with Torres?
"We'll see," Hossa said.
"I'm not the type of guy to try to fight. I'm just going to play my game
and I'm sure somebody else will step up."
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