Marian Hossa is as close to a living legend as the Chicago Blackhawks have in their dressing room. Younger teammates are eager to call him special and revere him as a role model.It means Im older, Hossa said. Im just glad I can still play.Hossa can still play, and his consistency at both ends of the ice is a piece of what makes the Blackhawks perennial Stanley Cup contenders. Hes 35 now and this season passed the 1,100-game mark, but on a team led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Hossa keeps things together as one of the NHLs best defensive forwards.He just flies on the backcheck. Theres a lot of guys that skate a lot faster going forward than they do coming back to their own end, and hes not that way, Kane said. Hes so good at stripping the puck. Hes also good in these one-on-one battles where more often than not youre going to see him coming away with the puck.He doesnt seem to get any older, either. He seems to get better and better each year.This is Hossas 16th full NHL season and he remains a key cog for the Blackhawks, who have won the Cup twice in the past five years and visit the Washington Capitals on Thursday in the Winter Classic. Hossa is averaging 0.65 points a game, the lowest since his rookie year with the Ottawa Senators, but his two-way game is responsible for preventing more than a few goals against.Teammates past and present marvel at what Hossa can do in the defensive zone and without the puck.Hes got that powerful stride that gets him back in the play easily, said former Blackhawks forward Jeremy Morin, whos now with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And he can take the puck off your stick with ease. Hes so strong on the stick and its always in the right position. He can steal pucks with the best in the league, for sure.That, Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad said, is how Hossa turns defence into offence. In 1,127 games, Hossa has 472 goals and 547 assists.Hossa is 76th on the all-time points list, ahead of Hockey Hall of Famers Pat LaFontaine, Lanny McDonald and Maurice Richard. Hes 52nd in goals, ahead of LaFontaine, Doug Gilmour and Pavel Bure, and third among active players.His career numbers are similar to former Senators teammate Daniel Alfredsson, who retired earlier this month after putting up 426 goals and 682 assists in 1,178 games. But Hossa may be one of the most underrated players in the NHL now and as a result is considered a borderline Hall of Famer at best.Maybe I would have more numbers but maybe some other teams wouldnt want me, Hossa said. Theres an advantage and disadvantage with that. Obviously Im happy how the outcome played out.Hossa has two Stanley Cup rings and appeared in the final two other times. A five-time all-star, the Slovak winger with four Olympic appearances has a case, even if its not easy to quantify.I know (from) being around him and still dominating like he does, I think its his 17th year, hes always been a great player, Saad said. Im not sure exactly the reason, but theres so many little things the guy does, its incredible.Hossa still has six seasons left on his contract at a cap hit of US$5.275 million, so he likely has plenty of time before the Hall of Fame question even comes up. Judging from his assessment of 1,000 career points that he has been lucky, Hossa probably isnt all that worried about it.Truth be told, Hossa has been fortunate to avoid injuries throughout most of his career. The fewest games he played in a full season was 57 in 2009-10.Hossa gets some practices off because of his age and experience, but that doesnt seem to detract from his play. Coach Joel Quenneville calls him a great pro and a player who reinforces what the staff wants out of the team.Defensively and offensively hes got a great thought process, Quenneville said. Game in, game out, you use him in all situations. Hes a very useful player.Before joining Chicago, Hossa was more than just a useful player for the Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. Despite all that, its possible hes still under-appreciated.But not by the Blackhawks.We definitely know how special of a player he is, whether he gets the recognition or not, Saad said. Its pretty surreal to see a guy like that still playing and still doing as well as hes doing.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. Alex Smith Redskins Jersey . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. 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One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place.Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Arkansas red-hot November defense transitioned into December. Brandon Allen tossed a pair of touchdown passes and the Razorbacks limited Texas to just 59 total yards en route to a 31-7 dismantling of the Longhorns in the Texas Bowl on Monday night. The Razorbacks raced out to a 24-7 halftime advantage and never looked back. Arkansas held Texas to just 13 yards in the second half. It limited the Longhorns to a minuscule 0.1 yards per carry, while racking up 191 yards on the ground. Arkansas allowed just 9.5 points per game and forced 12 turnovers in November. It gave up 25.6 points per game and forced just 10 giveaways during the months of August, September and October. Allen was 12-of-23 for 160 yards, Jonathan Williams carried the ball 23 times for 105 yards and a score and Demetrius Wilson and Keon Hatcher each caught a touchdown pass for the Razorbacks (7-6). A lot of really good things happened tonight, but tonight didnt just happen by chance, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said. I think from the time the seniors knew they were going to be a bowl eligible football team, they knew they were going to try and close this thing out with a winning season. To have Texas be the opportunity we got is absolutely outstanding for us. Tyrone Swoopes completed 13-of-25 passes for 57 yards with an interception for Texas (6-7), which was 3-5 going into November prior to ripping off three straight victories to become bowl eligible. Its been a season thats been up and down. You go out here tonight and you play against a good Arkansas team, Longhorns head coach Charliee Strong said.dddddddddddd You would have thought that we would have come out and just been better prepared. Arkansas scored the first 17 points of the game. After punting on its opening touch, the Razorbacks were faced with a 3rd- and-10 at the Texas 37 on its next possession. Allen hit Jared Cornelius over the middle and Texas Mykkele Thompson stripped the ball out, but the ball landed into the arms Hunter Henry for a gain of 20. The wild play led to an Adam McFain 32-yard field goal. Wilson came down with a jump ball along the left sideline for a 36-yard score early in the second on Arkansas next series for a 10-0 cushion. Taiwan Johnson recovered a muffed exchange between Swoopes and Johnathan in the end zone for Arkansas 17-0 margin midway through the second. Texas got on the board on its ensuing sequence when Swoopes capped off an 8- play, 44-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown keeper along the left sideline. Allen moved the chains on a 3rd-and-4 with a 10-yard scramble and then hit Drew Morgan for a 24-yard gain to move the ball to the Texas 10. Allen stepped up in the pocket on a 3rd-and-goal and found Hatcher in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard score. Williams 1-yard TD plunge early in the fourth was the lone score of the second half. Game Notes Arkansas improved to 14-23-3 all-time in the postseason ... Texas played in its 53rd bowl game, only Alabama has appeared in more. The Longhorns fell to 27-24-2 ... Williams and Alex Collins were the only FBS teammates to head into bowl season with 1,000-plus yards rushing. ' ' '