Tony Amonte played eight-plus seasons in Chicago, but one current Blackhawk doesn’t really care what one of the franchise’s all-time best has to say about him.
Marian Hossa, who missed Game 3 against the Bruins due to injury, was lit up by Amonte, who is ninth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 541 points.
“[Hossa] is not the guy with the highest pain threshold in the NHL,” Amonte said on Monday night on Comcast SportsNet. “If you look back to his stats and you look throughout his career, he usually plays about 60 games, takes about 20 or 30 off every year just to make sure he’s fresh coming into the postseason. He’s not a guy that will play through a lot of injuries.”
After playing in Game 4 — and playing well — Hossa fired a shot back at the Massachusetts native.
“I don’t really care what Tony Amonte says,” Hossa barked when asked if he heard Amonte’s comments.
“Look, if you cannot go, you cannot go,” he said on Wednesday of missing Monday’s game. “You almost feel useless there. [Wednesday night] was different decision, one extra day so I decided I can help a little bit and I’m glad we won.”
Hossa skated in pregame warmups prior to Game 3 but was scratched at the last minute. Ben Smith, who didnt even warm up, suited up and played over 10 minutes, posting a minus-1 in the Blackhawks’ 2-0 defeat. Hossa has 925 career regular-season points in 1,018 games to go with 113 career playoff points in 150 postseason games. He’s one of the most skilled players on the ice and has played in four Cup Finals.
“You’re in the Stanley Cup [Final],” Amonte said Tuesday on WEEI. “You give whatever you can to your organization and that’s the way most guys will do it. That’s what Nathan Horton‘s doing right now.”
Horton, of course, left Game 1 with a shoulder injury but hasn’t missed any time since.
“He can say whatever he wants about me, that’s fine, I don’t care,” Amonte said Wednesday night. “He can make his comments and go on from there, but the Chicago Blackhawks needed him last game, and that’s the point. That’s the only point I’m trying to make.”
