Hossa 'bugged' no more

The week leading up to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals had to seem like an eternity to Marian Hossa.

Day after day, practice after practice, waves of reporters came over to the Blackhawks right winger, wanting to talk about a supposed jinx. After all, Hossa had been on the losing side in the last two Stanley Cup Finals - now they wanted to know if it might soon be three straight.

The ever-polite Hossa answered each and every question, regardless of phrasing.

No he didn't believe in a jinx. Yes, he would do everything in his power not to make it three in a row.

But there was another question for Hossa as he and the Blackhawks prepared for Philadelphia, one that was on reporter's minds and in the back of Hossa's as well.

Where in the world has his goal-scoring been in the postseason? After all, it had been nearly a month since he scored in Game 3 in Vancouver on May 5.

"It bugged me, definitely," Hossa said. "The puck just didn't want to go in. I tried not to get frustrated, but it's in your head."

Even though he registered a pair of assists in the Hawks' 6-5 victory in the series opener and was called the best player on the ice by some of his teammates, including Patrick Sharp, it wasn't until Hossa scored the first goal of the night Monday in the second period that you could see the relief.

On his face.

In his celebration.

"It was a relief," Hossa admitted. "It's been a long time."

"It's nice that he put one in today so he can stop answering those questions," Sharp said. "He does so much; it doesn't matter if he scores or not. He's helping our team every time he's out there."

It was Sharp who got things going with a shot from the slot which Michael Leighton stopped. Troy Brouwer, who was camped out in front of the net, poked at it too, but to no avail. But then Hossa swooped down from Leighton's left and finally beat the former Hawks goalie to break a scoreless tie.

"I was looking for an ugly goal like that to get our offense going," Hossa said.

"It was great seeing him get that one," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "He's had a lot of chances. But he's been creating chances for us all throughout the playoffs."

Hossa now has 3 points in two games in the Finals, both Hawks wins.

So for now, no further questions.