Marian Hossa will miss the 2017-18 season due to a skin condition

On Tuesday evening, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his weekly 30 Thoughts column that Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa likely could have played his last game due to an allergic reaction to his equipment.

Wednesday, Hossa himself confirmed the news that he would miss the entirety of the 2017-18 season due to a skin condition.

Friedman’s sources stressed that the condition is not one to be laughed at, and the allergic reaction is linked to the medications for Hossa’s “progressive skin disorder.”

Here is Hossa’s statement from the Blackhawks website on the matter:

Over the course of the last few years, under the supervision of the Blackhawks medical staff, I have been privately undergoing treatment for a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medications involved to treat the disorder. Due to the severe side effects associated with those medications, playing hockey is not possible for me during the upcoming 2017-18 season. While I am disappointed that I will not be able to play, I have to consider the severity of my condition and how the treatments have impacted my life both on and off the ice.

Team physician Dr. Michael Terry also chimed in on Hossa’s condition, revealing very few details on the skin disorder the 38-year-old is dealing with.

Marian has been dealing with the effects of a progressive skin disorder that is becoming more and more difficult to treat and control with conventional medications while he plays hockey. Because of the dramatic nature of the medications required and their decreasing effectiveness, we strongly support his decision not to play during the 2017-18 season. We feel in the most certain terms this is the appropriate approach for Marian in order to keep him functional and healthy in the short term and throughout his life.

Hossa has won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks organization during his 20-year NHL career. Over 1,309 career games, Hossa has 1,134 points. The forward also has four years left on his $63.3 million deal.