Chicago Blackhawks veteran Marian Hossa is a role model in the locker room, where younger teammates revere him. Ryan Klesko Jersey .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. Joey Lucchesi Jersey . -- Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Wholesale Padres Jerseys . Aaron Hill and Cliff Pennington hit home runs in the first inning for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/473m-bip-roberts-jersey-padres.html . Among the teams moves was trading one of the teams two third round picks, no. 83 overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Bollig, a six-foot-two, 223-pound left-winger who had seven goals, seven assists, and 92 penalty minutes in 82 games last season.DALLAS -- Semyon Varlamov has mastered beating the Dallas Stars. Varlamov made 41 saves in the Colorado Avalanches 4-3 victory Monday night and beat the Stars for the fourth straight time. Alex Tanguay scored the winning goal early in the third period, and Varlamov made it stand up despite the best efforts of rejuvenated Stars scoring leader Tyler Seguin. Colorado led twice, but both times Seguin scored to tie the game. Seguin has 23 goals this season, but had not scored in 13 games. He also had an assist on Jamie Benns first-period goal. Varlamov stopped Seguin twice during a third-period power play with the score tied. "On Jamies cross-crease pass, (Seguin) had about 18 inches of open net," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "He just pushed the puck back into the goalies pads." Varlamov knew he was challenged on that play. "(Seguin) is a good player. Hes got a tough shot. Hes pretty skilled. Hes always dangerous, especially when were penalty killing." The goalie also stopped Seguins drive from the left faceoff circle as the Avalanche killed the penalty. Just 19 seconds later, at 4:13 of the third, Tanguays shot from low in the left circle hit a skate, possibly Dallas defenceman Sergei Gonchars, and skidded past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for the 4-3 lead. "It wasnt pretty," Tanguay said, "but those things happen. I had (teammate Paul Stastny) at the corner of the net. If it doesnt hit something else, it probably goes in with him." Colorados Nathan MacKinnon scored on the games first shot. Jamie McGinn also scored in the first period, and Stastny connected on a power play in the second. "The first five minutes," Ruff said. "After that, we dominated. Their goalie stole the show. "We had five or six point-blank chances in the second to blow the game apart. He was there and he made some great saves." Maxime Talbot and Gabriel Landeskog had two assists apiece for the Avalanche. Alex Goligoski assisted twice for Dallas. The Avalanche won two of three games on a road trip that ended Monday. The Stars had won their previous three games by a 14-1 combined margin. MacKinnon scored after a shot was knocked down in front. The puck went to him just to the left of the goal, and he tapped in a shot beforee Lehtonen could slide across to that side. Benito Santiago Jersey. Lehtonen had allowed only one goal in 67 shots during the three previous games. Colorado scored again at 15:57 of the first period. After blocking a shot by Dallas Alex Chiasson in their end, the Avalanche attacked. Lehtonen stopped Matt Duchenes shot, but McGinn took the rebound in front and flipped a backhand into the top of the net. The Stars cut their deficit to 2-1 just 1 1/2 minutes later. Colorado tried to clear from behind the net, but Seguin retrieved the puck on the left wing boards and dropped it to Benn in the faceoff circle. His wrist shot beat Varlamov upstairs for Benns 20th goal. Seguin tied the game 2-2 with a 4-on-3 power play at 1:02 of the second period. Benn passed from the right circle across to Seguin, who beat Varlamov on the short side. "It felt good," Seguin said, "like I lost the monkey off my back for sure, getting that goal." The goal extended Dallas streak to eight games with a power-play goal (10 total). The Avalanche regained the lead on Stastnys power-play goal at 17:57. The Stars had successfully killed 16 consecutive penalties before that. Dallas tied 16 seconds later, when Seguin sent a drive from the right circle under Varlamovs right arm. "That was my goal," Varlamov said. "I could have moved a little bit, so I was not happy about it. I tried to regroup for myself and get ready for the third period. The third period was huge for us." He faced a total of 13 shots from the Stars two leading scorers, eight by Benn and five by Varlamov. "Hes having a great year," Benn said, "and had another good game tonight." NOTES: A big difference between third-place Colorado and fifth-place Dallas is that the Avalanche are 13-5-2 within the Central Division, and the Stars are 6-9-5. . Tanguay has points in six of his last seven games against the Stars. . MacKinnon has four goals and two assists in his last five games. He and Dallas Valeri Nichushkin are 1-2 in scoring among rookies. . Goligoski has seven assists in the last four games, 10 in the last eight. . Benn has three goals and five assists in the last five games. . Seguin has four goals and four assists against Colorado this season. . The season series concluded with the Avalanche 4-1 and Dallas 1-3-1. ' ' '