Jonathan Toews and Peter Bondra took a page out of the Gen Z playbook during a farewell game for Marian Hossa in Trencin, Slovakia on Friday.
The two NHL legends re-enacted the Michigan alley-oop that Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano pulled off in late 2021. Bondra, 55, corralled the puck behind the opposition’s net — positioning himself perfectly for a Michigan — before flicking the puck over the cage for Toews, who batted the puck out of mid-air and scored amidst a foggy ice surface.
Bondra played alongside Hossa with the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers at the tail end of his career. Toews, who recently announced he’s stepping away from the NHL, was teammates with Hossa on the Chicago Blackhawks for eight seasons and won three Stanley Cups alongside the five-time All-Star.
Hossa’s goodbye game was comprised of a star-studded cast, with the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Dustin Byfuglien, Duncan Keith, Marian Gaborik, Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara partaking in the event. Tickets for ‘Goodbye Game 81’, which also came with a signed Hossa jersey, were priced at 281 Euros. All proceeds from the game were donated to HOSS HEROS, a not-for-profit organization created by Hossa and his brother, Marcel, which aims to organize charity events and improve conditions and community relations for youth sports.
Hossa recorded 1,134 points in 1,309 career NHL games and suited up for the Senators, Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks throughout his 19-year career. The 44-year-old was traded to the Arizona Coyotes after the 2016-17 season but never played a game for the organization due to a progressive skin disorder that ultimately forced him into retirement after the 2017-18 campaign.
Hossa was one of five players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. The Blackhawks retired his No. 81 in November 2022.
