If there's anybody who can relate to what Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa may be going through, it's former Hawks defenseman and current Wild broadcaster Tom Reid, who had to retire from the NHL in 1978 because of an allergic reaction his skin was having to his hockey equipment.
On Wednesday, Hossa said he would not be able to play in the 2017-18 season because of a "progressive skin disorder" and the serious side effects associated with his medication to treat the disorder.
Reid said during his playing days his condition didn't have a formal name and was known as the "gunk." He said he wasn't sure if Hossa is suffering from the same thing, but Reid said his condition involved a bad reaction to the sweat, heat and friction generated with his equipment when he played, no matter how many times he changed his equipment.
"It started as a little thing on my arm about the size of a quarter," Reid said in a phone interview Wednesday. "It got worse and it spread to my torso on my left side, then blew up over the next three years."
Reid spent parts of his first two seasons in the NHL with the Hawks, who traded him to the North Stars in 1969. Reid then played parts of 10 seasons in Minnesota.
Reid went eight years without any issues before trying to play through pain for the final three years, so it's possible Hossa may have had his condition develop later in his career. Hossa said in a statement he has been dealing with his disorder the last few years.
"He's such a star player. You really miss guys like that," Reid said of Hossa. "People go to see guys like him play so it's difficult. For he and his family it probably is the right choice. It's uncomfortable when you have to play at those conditions and you're not at 100 percent. You think you are on the ice. You give it everything you got and you have to come back and you're sitting in that locker room and wondering if this is worth it."
Reid said he tried various creams and lotions, but that didn't help the pain or from having his skin bleed or emit puss. He would wrap himself in towels to comfort himself only to have his skin peel off when he removed the towels.
The only thing that helped was not playing. Reid said he tried various steroid and cortisone injections to stop the pain, but those jeopardized his long-term health and that's when he knew he had to stop playing.
"They told me if they continue to give me the steroids and cortisone shots the way they were doing it I'd be dead by the time I was 40," Reid said. "I said no thanks, I'm out of here."
Reid said he would be surprised if Hossa returned after being away for a year.
"You're hoping they can find a remedy for it, but once you're off the ice, it's tough to come back in those situations," Reid said.
