Marian Hossa scores 500th NHL goal (Video)

Josh Cooper
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 18: Marian Hossa #81 of the Chicago Blackhawks reacts after scoring his 500th goal, as Andrew MacDonald #47 of the Philadelphia Flyers stands behind, in the second period at the United Center on October 18, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
Marian Hossa #81 of the Chicago Blackhawks reacts after scoring his 500th goal, as Andrew MacDonald #47 of the Philadelphia Flyers stands behind, in the second period at the United Center on October 18, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)

Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa is the newest member of the NHL’s 500 goal club.

At the 5:04 mark of the second period of Chicago’s Tuesday game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center, Hossa backhanded a puck past Steve Mason to help him reach the mark.

The goal by Hossa came in the 1,240th game of his career and Chicago’s fourth game of the 2016-17 season.

After the goal, Hossa celebrated and lifted his stick to the crowd while a spotlight beamed on him.

“To tell you the truth, it just felt great,” Hossa said after the game. “Great reception from the fans and just kind of my career just really quick. It’s 500 goals. I’m just glad to be a part of that company and thank all my teammates who I played with.”

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Hossa, who was an Ottawa Senators’ first-round draft pick in 1997, had been stuck on goal No. 499 since March 29 of last season when he scored the Hawks’ only goal in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Hossa is the seventh European born and trained player to hit 500 goals. Hossa is the 44th player in NHL history to hit the mark.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment, tremendous career,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “The best part of his game is the consistency of being a pro night in, night out, being responsible both sides of the puck, plays hard every single game.”

The goal continued a strong start by Hossa to the 2016-17 season after a tough year in 2015-16. He currently has four points in his first four games. The Blackhawks beat the Flyers 7-4 with the line of Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin combining for 11 total points.

“I definitely didn’t want to (score) 500 into an empty net,” Hossa said. “I’m just glad it happened during the game, and it just feels good. I’m just happy about it.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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