Hossa's former teammates gather August 18th in Slovakia to honour one of the best players to ever play for the Senators.

Marian Hossa hasn't played an NHL game in six years and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame three years ago.

But it's never too late to say goodbye.

On August 18th, Hossa will be joined by some of his greatest teammates over the years for a farewell, fundraising game in Trenčín, Slovakia. The rosters will include Daniel Alfredsson, Zdeno Chara, Martin Havlat, and Marian Gaborik.

The game will even be played at the Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, named after another former Senator. The Slovakian NHL star and his KHL Lokomotiv Yaroslavl teammates perished in a plane crash on September 7th, 2011.

Over his 19-year NHL career, Hossa scored 525 goals and 1,134 points. In August 2005, after he had led the Senators with 82 points the previous season, the Senators gave Hossa a three-year-deal worth $18 million. Then GM John Muckler, concerned about the club's recent playoff failures (most of them against Toronto), promptly traded Hossa to Atlanta with defenceman Greg DeVries for Dany Heatley. 

Heatley had been looking for a fresh start elsewhere. After crashing his Ferrari in 2003, which claimed the life of his teammate Dan Snyder, Heatley had just been sentenced to three years probation.

Heatley lasted just four years with Ottawa but they were his best years in the league. Hossa, meanwhile, went on to play in three straight Cup Finals with three different teams, finally winning the first of his three championships with Chicago in 2010. 

By 2017, Hossa was out of the game. He announced he was suffering from a progressive skin disorder but, signed until 2021, he still floated around on paper for several more years. He was listed on Arizona's long term injured reserve until finally drawing his last NHL paycheque a couple of years ago.

Proceeds from the game next month will go to "HOSS Heroes," a charity started by Hossa and his brother, Marcel, who also played in the NHL for several years.