by Steven Gomez

Created on: December 15, 2009

Czech Republican Dominik Hasek's sprawling, all-out style of hockey goaltending made him an an NHL legend over a 16 year NHL career and earned him the nickname "The Dominator".

Born January 29, 1965 in Pardubice of what was then called Czechoslovakia.  Hasek's family was so poor he could not afford real skates (he typically screwed blades onto the soles of his regular shoes), but at age 5 he had grown tall enough that he was allowed to play with boys twice his age.  His double jointed limbs and willingness to contort himself in making saves quickly made him a prized teammate and his game grew as he studied older goaltenders to refine his technique.

Coaches weren't fond of his self-taught unorthodox techniques, which featured head-spinning saves and 'flop' saves, but the results spoke for themselves and by age 15 he became the youngest player in the history of Czech Hockey.  He helped lead his HC Pardubice club to two Czechoslovak Extraliga titles in 1987 and 1989.  He had been drafted by the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks in 1983 but the Iron Curtain's politicial restrictions kept him in his home country until 1990.  Still, he was named the MVP of the Czechoslovak Extraliga three times (1987, 1989 and 1990), and when the Iron Curtain came down Hasek slipped away to the U.S.

Hasek cut his teeth with the IHL's Indianapolis Ice and the Blackhawks for two seasons, backing up Blackhawks star goaltender Ed Belfour when he did make the NHL roster.  But his career took off after he was traded in 1992 to the Buffalo Sabres.  Starting out 3rd on the depth chart behind incumbent goalie Grant Fuhr and backup Tom Draper, Draper's departure and an injury to Fuhr opened the door for Dominik, who as he did in his home country quickly became one of the league's top goaltenders.  By 1994, he had won his first Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, running an astounding 1.95 goals against average (GAA) with seven shutouts.

However, as the Sabres rose to NHL prominence, Hasek butted heads with coach Ted Nolan, and after allegations of faking an injury in the 1997 playoffs, Hasek helped drive the popular coach out of Buffalo, angering Buffalo's fans so that they booed him during the early weeks of the next season.  But Hasek's spectacular play won the fans back and with 13 shutouts, he not only won another Vezina Trophy, but only the 5th goaltender ever to win the Hart trophy for NHL MVP.  By now everyone has grown to dub Hasek "The

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>