Dominik Hašek

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Dominik Hašek
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2014
Born January 29, 1965 (1965-01-29) (age 50)
Pardubice, Czechoslovakia
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Goaltender
Played for KHL
HC Spartak Moscow
HC Pardubice
HC Dukla Jihlava

Chicago Black Hawks
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
HC Jihlava
National team Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovakia
NHL Draft 199th overall, 1983
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1980–2011

Dominik Hašek, (born January 29, 1965) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender that played a total of 16 seasons in the National Hockey League.

During his playing career he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, and the Ottawa Senators. When he was in Buffalo, he became one of the league's best goaltenders. He was nicknamed "The Dominator." His strong play has been said to have establish European goaltenders in a league dominated by North Americans.[1]

Hašek was one of the league's most successful goaltenders of the 1990s and early 2000s. From 1993 to 2001, he won six Vezina Trophies, and in 1998 he became the first goaltender to win consecutive Hart Trophies.[2] During the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he led the Czech national ice hockey team to its first and only Olympic gold medal. The feat made him a popular figure in his home country[3] and prompted hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to call him "the best player in the game."[4] While with the Red Wings in 2002, Hašek became the first European starting goaltender to win the Stanley Cup.[5] Doing that, he set a record for shutouts in a postseason year. He came in second in votes for the Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff's Most Valuable Player.

Hašek was considered an unorthodox goaltender, with a special style that has labelled him a "flopper."[6] He is best known for his concentration, foot speed, flexibility, and unconventional saves, such as covering the puck with his blocker rather than his trapper.[6]

Hašek is seen as a future Hall of Famer by those in the hockey world.[7] He is right now the oldest goalie in the NHL at 43, and also, the second oldest player in the league after Red Wings teammate Chris Chelios, who is 46.

On June 23, 2014, Hašek was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[8]

References[change | change source]

  1. Samuelson, Karl (2003-11-01). "The return of the dominator: after taking a year off to charge his batteries, Dominik Hašek is back in goal for Detroit and ready to win another Cup". Hockey Digest. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  2. "A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey". The Ice Hockey Annual. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  3. "Q&A: Czech hockey goalie Dominik Hasek". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006-02-03. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  4. Wigge, Larry (1998-03-23). "Passionate or passionless? It's a harbinger of spring - whether certain key players are playing with the passion and intensity needed for success in the Stanley Cup playoffs - NHL Insider - Column". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  5. "Lidstrom becomes first European to win Conn Smythe Trophy". IIHF. 2002-06-14. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Dominik Hasek (1990–present)". 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  7. "Dominik Hasek returns to Detroit". Canadian Press. 2006-07-31.
  8. "Hasek, Modano in Hall's Class of 2014". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved 2014-10-19.

Other websites[change | change source]