Welcome to the second installment of "The Legacy Of...", the series in which we will discuss the legacies of Pittsburgh athletes who moved on to greener pastures.
I'll give you the facts, including details on the player's acquisition, his Pittsburgh career with all of the highs and lows, and the time when he moves on. After that, you can vote on his legacy and discuss it at greater length in the comments section.
Today's subject, like most of the subjects in this series, is a magnet for controversy: former Penguin Marian Hossa.
ACQUISITION
The 6'1", 210-pound right winger was drafted 12th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 draft, playing eight seasons north of the border.
Hossa signed a three-year, $18 million contract on August 23, 2005, and was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers later that afternoon in exchange for talented yet troubled winger Dany Heatley.
During his third season with Atlanta, Hossa was dealt by the Thrashers to Pittsburgh (along with Pascal Dupuis) on February 26, 2008, in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, 2007 1st-round pick Angelo Esposito, and the Penguins' 2008 1st-round pick.
Hossa was clearly the centerpiece of the Penguins' trade deadline acquisitions and was part of one of the highest-profile trades in team history. Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Hossa had notched 296 goals and 342 points in his NHL career with Ottawa and Atlanta.
Upon his arrival to the Burgh, this photo of Hossa and a female friend was dug up and run on blogs approximately 1.8 million times during the next four months. OK, I made that 1.8 million number up. It was closer to 1.9 million.
The trade was controversial on several levels. Some considered the price too high and the trade too risky, pointing to Hossa's unspectacular playoff performances in past years. Others disliked the loss of popular locker-room guys like Christensen and Armstrong, both fan favorites. Another faction of Penguin fans endorsed the roll-of-the-dice, which was a bold move by both the front office and the ownership. For Pittsburgh fans used to trade deadlines spent watching our teams give away top players, this was a welcome change.
CAREER IN PITTSBURGH
Hossa's time as a Penguin got off to an ominous start, as he sprained his MCL in his Penguins debut on February 28. He would not return until a March 16 grudge match with Philadelphia that turned out to be a rousing 7-1 Penguins victory. Hossa scored a goal and added an assist in his Mellon Arena debut, endearing himself to the home fans in the process.
Hossa ended the Penguin portion of his 2007-08 regular season with three goals and seven assists in 12 games, his high point output a three-assist performance in a 7-1 win against the Devils on March 22. It was on to the playoffs, where his presence would truly determine whether Ray Shero's trade was a good move or one the Penguins would regret.
In the playoff opener, a 4-0 victory against Ottawa, Hossa was held goal-less on seven shots. At the time, I said, "looked like there was a lid on the goal for him."
Following Game Two, a two-assist performance in another Penguins victory, Hossa was awarded FSN's Player of the Game honors for his goal & assist combo in a 4-1 Game Three win that put the Penguins within one win of an eventual sweep. Hossa ended the first round with one goal and four assists on 15 shots.
It was on to Round Two against Jaromir Jagr and the New York Rangers. After somewhat of a slow start in the first two games (both Penguin victories, by the way), Hossa way publicly called out by Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook with his "Hossa needs to start scoring" story. Cook suggested that despite their 6-0 record in the playoffs to that point, Coach Michel Therrien should have replaced Hossa with Petr Sykora on the top power play unit.
Hossa must've been a PG reader, as he answered Cook's challenge with a goal and assist performance in the next game, a 5-3 win over the Rangers. He added two goals, including an overtime, series-ender, in the clinching 3-2 victory; after two rounds and nine games, Hossa stood at five goals and five assists on 44 shots. More importantly, he aroused Casey Hampton enough to get out of his front-row seat.
Hossa got off to a quick start in the Conference Finals against Philadelphia, with a two-assist Game One and a power play goal in Game Two.
Hossa would notch two more goals in a 4-1 victory against the Flyers in Game Three, silencing 19,965 Flyers fans in the process. It was a beautiful sight.
Hossa would save his best statistical game of the playoffs for the May 18, 6-0 blowout that would send Philadelphia to their inevitable offseason golf matches. His one goal, three-assist game would give the alleged shrinking playoff performer nine goals and 10 assists through three rounds of the tournament. Suddenly, Hossa was called "the perfect wingman for Sidney Crosby," while simultaneously being praised by SI.
It was on to the Stanley Cup, hockey's biggest stage for one of its biggest free agents.
Like every other player on the Penguins' roster, Hossa was held scoreless in Game One and Game Two, as the Pens dug quite the formidable 0-2 hole. He found his way onto the ledger with two assists in an amazing Game Three 3-2 home victory in front of a red-clad Mark Madden. And he would score the only Pittsburgh goal in the 2-1 Game Four defeat.
With the Penguins just 35 seconds from elimination, Hossa set up Maxime Talbot for "The Goal I" in Game Five, the Instant Classic later won by Petr Sykora's "The Goal II" about ten hours later. And in the Game Six finale, despite scoring and assisting on the two Penguin goals, he will probably be remembered for the one that didn't go in with just seconds left.
With the season over, Hossa was free to pursue offers from all NHL teams. And with promises that he would play for a better team at a discounted rate, Pittsburghers kept up hope.
In June, Please Stay Hossa was introduced to the world, with the best of intentions. It was one of a number of grassroots attempts at getting the talented winger to reconsider a few more years in the land of Iron City and pierogis.
THE END IN PITTSBURGH
Once free agency was underway, Hossa floored even his agent by turning away a 7-year, $49 million dollar deal from the Penguins and a reported $70-$80 million deal from Edmonton in order to sign a one-year, $7.4 million deal with Detroit on July 2.
"I've said before, I want to have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and I feel like Detroit is the team. It wasn't an easy decision. I knew I could have gotten more money somewhere else but I wanted the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and Detroit is the best destination," Hossa said in a conference call.
Let those be motivational words for Sidney Crosby and the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins, noted ESPN 1250's Jim Colony at the time.
POST-PITTSBURGH CAREER
Not surprisingly, reaction to Hossa's signing with Detroit was not well-received in Pittsburgh. A few days after the move, Kiss 96 FM had video of Hossa jersey burnings, for those Yinzers who made the ultimate leap of faith and purchased a pricey sweater of the pending UFA.
A poll gauging your memories of Marian Hossa should be rather spirited. At this point, the discussion is in your hands. Do you have mostly good or mostly bad memories of Marian Hossa as a Penguin? We're putting it to a poll, and there's no wiggle room: it's either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. What wins out: 12 goals and 14 assists in a Cup run, or the spurning of a $49 million offer to join what he thinks is a superior Detroit team?
Welcome to the first installment of "The Legacy Of...", the new series in which we will discuss the legacies of Pittsburgh athletes who moved on to greener pastures.
I'll give you the facts, including details on the player's acquisition, his Pittsburgh career with all of the highs and lows, and the time when he moves on. After that, you can vote on his legacy and discuss it at greater length in the comments section.
Our first subject is a controversial figure you're all familiar with: former Steeler QB Kordell Stewart.
ACQUISITION
Stewart came to the Steelers in the second round of the 1995 draft out of the University of Colorado, where he set several school passing records under coach Bill McCartney. The highlight of his college career would be "The Miracle at Michigan", a play so spectacular that it has its own Wikipedia page.
CAREER IN PITTSBURGH
Drafted by Bill Cowher with the second-round tag, Stewart was a luxury afforded to a team that already had Neil O'Donnell, Jim Miller, and Mike Tomczak manning the quarterback position. But Stewart was no ordinary quarterback. His unique set of skills was quickly translated by Myron Cope into the nickname "Slash", as he was a three-way-threat of rushing, receiving, and passing. The Steelers used Stewart in a variety of formations, and usually they resulted in something exciting.
His rookie campaign included a touchdown pass, run, and throw, but his mere presence was enough to distract opposing defenses and open up the offense for teammates such as Bam Morris, Erric Pegram, and Yancey Thigpen. Stewart was on the receiving end of a touchdown in the AFC Championship against the Colts and was a part of the Super Bowl XXX Steelers, the only Super Bowl appearance of his career.
As seen on QVC the night of the draft, the Kordell rookie card!
In 1996, with O'Donnell collecting fat paychecks from the 1-15, Rich Kotite-led New York Jets, Stewart was involved in a three-way battle for the starting QB job, which was "won" by Miller. Miller lasted all of one half before Cowher had seen enough, turning to Tomczak for the rest of the season. Stewart was again utilized in the Slash role, rushing for 171 yards, gaining another 293 as a receiver, and finding the end zone eight times.
With Tomczak on the way to the Old Quarterbacks' Home, Stewart took advantage of the opening and was named the starter for 1997. And did he ever take advantage. Let's take a look at his 1997 stat line:
That's right. Kordell accounted for 32 touchdowns in the 1997 season. That's two a week, for those of you scoring at home.
What was a fantastic regular season would unravel in the playoffs, the point in the season that would ultimately prove to be Stewart's achilles heel. The Steelers escaped a first-round playoff matchup with the Patriots by a 7-6 margin; Stewart threw for just 134 yards and completed only 45% of his passes, but he did score the Steelers' lone touchdown. His performance in the AFC Championship left a lot to be desired, throwing three picks and watching as the Denver Broncos celebrated their Super Bowl berth on Three Rivers turf.
I have no pics of the AFC Championship, so you'll have to settle for this Kordell beanie baby, which couldn't have done much worse than his namesake against Denver
In 1998, with high expectations, Kordell and the Steelers fell flat on their faces. The losses of Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey, WR Yancey Thigpen, and 3/5 of their offensive line was simply too much to overcome. What was an AFC Championship team a year before was now 7-9.
Starting all 16 games, Stewart threw for just over 2,500 yards, 11 TD, and 18 INT. This was the season that led to the desperation of drafting WR Troy Edwards in the 1st round of the 1999 draft, with hopes that all Kordell needed was another weapon. Unfortunately, we all know how that pick worked out. This was also the season where Kordell famously cried on the sidelines.
The Hills-exclusive 12" Kordell figure. I wish I was making this up. With decisions like that, no wonder Hills is out of business.
1999 brought a fresh start, but Stewart failed to rise to the occasion. 7-9 became 6-10, and Steeler Nation was growing impatient. It was during the '98/'99 time frame that the infamous rumors about his sexuality started to surface. Funny that they never surfaced during a winning season, no?
Pretty much the worst idea ever conceived for a card
Dr. Cowher's prescription for a struggling QB dogged by gay rumors while getting beer dumped on his head by the "home" crowd? One dose of Kent Graham.
Graham arrived via free agency in 2000 from the New York Giants, who felt no need to keep a quarterback with a career passer rating of 69. And he was no savior during his time here as a starter, which I mostly remember as a mixture of injuries, slow footwork, and defeats. The door was open for a Kordell Stewart Revival, and he took full advantage, saving the day in a 21-20 victory over what would be a 12-4 Oakland Raiders squad, and leading the Steelers to a 9-7 finish.
ESPN: The Mag, firmly in Kordell's corner since declaring him "Next" around 1998 or so
The 2001 Steelers had a QB depth chart of Stewart, XFL castoff Tommy Maddox, and college hero Tee Martin. With Graham underachieving in a whole new city (Washington), it was Kordell's team once again. And once again, his roller coaster career took an upturn. The Steelers finished 13-3 under Stewart, a Pro Bowler and team MVP. He threw for over 3,100 yards and ran for 537, accounting for a total of 19 touchdowns. And then...the playoffs came.
Round One was a pretty easy 27-10 win over Baltimore, but Stewart was less-than-spectacular, throwing for 154 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. It was on to the AFC Championship against New England to try and erase bad memories from the 1997-98 AFC title bout.
The game was a disaster in nearly every facet. Steeler special teams came apart at the seams; the referees had one of the worst performances in modern history; Jerome Bettis ran for 8 yards on 9 carries; and Stewart accounted for three interceptions. It was the beginning of one era (New England/Brady) and the end of another. Kordell's days as a Steeler would never be the same.
Although he started 2002 as the starter, Stewart would not have that title for long. He was replaced by the fourth game of the season by the gunslinging Maddox, who went on to throw 20 TD in 11 starts and lead the Steelers to the second round of the playoffs.
THE END IN PITTSBURGH
Following the 2002 season, it was clear that the marriage of the Steelers and Kordell Stewart had come to an end. He was unhappy being the backup and the Steelers and the city were enthralled by the riches-to-rags-to-riches story of Maddox, who started his career as a first-round pick in 1992 with Denver.
HIS POST-PITTSURGH CAREER
Released from the Steelers, Stewart signed with the Chicago Bears in 2003, where he lasted all of one season under Dick Jauron. Kordell had a 2-5 record as the Bears' starter, throwing 7 TDs and 12 INTs after giving way to Chris Chandler and later Rex Grossman.
Seriously, how many Bears fans are going to spend $225 to commemorate Kordell's two wins there?
Once again, Stewart found himself a free agent, and in 2004 he joined the Baltimore Ravens and Brian Billick. He was the backup to Kyle Boller (and Anthony Wright), and did not throw a pass in a Raven uniform. He did, however, win NFL Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his impromptu punting performance while filling in for an injured Dave Zastudil.
Say what you want, the backwards purple visor look works
In 2005, Stewart was back with the Ravens, but not for long. He was released in early November as the Ravens opted to go only two-deep at the QB position. Kordell Stewart's NFL career was over.
Following his NFL career, Kordell Stewart has mostly flown under the radar. He did briefly appear on TV as part of the Pros vs. Joes series, trash-talking and subsequently running over some random dude:
ESPN's Hashmarks also reminded us in November of last year that it was Kordell Stewart's presence that allowed the Ravens to cut QB Derek Anderson, now the face of the Cleveland Browns. So in a way, he's still affecting the AFC North hierarchy.
And as recently as a few weeks ago, Kordell was back in the news courtesy of a book-pushing Plaxico Burress, who said that Kordell's performance was affected by the gay rumors.
YOUR TURN
So that's all the information I have. At this point, the discussion is in your hands. Do you have mostly good or mostly bad memories of Kordell Stewart as a Steeler? We're putting it to a poll, and there's no wiggle room: it's either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. What wins out: two AFC Championship appearances and the fun-loving Slash, or two AFC Championship defeats and numerous disappointing seasons in-between?
