Dominik Hasek Speaker & Booking Information

He has played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings. His highly unorthodox style created doubts about his potential, but his acrobatic play and extraordinary reflexes eventually led Wayne Gretzky himself to pronounce him the greatest living player. No other goaltender from Europe has rivaled his success in the NHL.

Hasek was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1983 as their 10th round choice, but didn't debut with them until the 1990-91 season. Hasek spent time as the backup to Ed Belfour, and only played 25 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks. On August 7, 1992, Hasek was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for G Stephane Beauregard and future considerations, those future considerations turning into the draft pick that became Eric Daze. In Buffalo, he initially started as the back-up goaltender, first to Tom Draper and then to Grant Fuhr. When Fuhr got injured partway through the season, Hasek was elevated to starter, where he blossomed into one of the NHL's top goaltenders. During his career, Hasek has won the Vezina Trophy for most outstanding goalie six times and has won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's most valuable player and Lester B. Pearson Award for the most valuable player in the NHL as selected by the NHLPA twice each. He led the NHL in save percentage six times, and has been named to the first team at the all star game five times.

At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Hasek led the Czech team to the gold medal, including a shutout of the Russian Federation team during the gold medal game. In 2001 Hasek, having won almost everything but a Stanley Cup, moved to the Detroit Red Wings, the odds-on favourites to win. Hasek's dreams were fulfilled and Detroit won both the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup.

That summer Hasek retired, but after a year of watching Detroit's first round collapse to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, he announced his intent to play again. The Red Wings held his option for that season, but could have passed on it, making Hasek an unrestricted free agent. Knowing Patrick Roy had retired in the offseason, and that arch-nemesis Colorado would be looking for a goaltender, the Wings were forced to sign Hasek, rather than lose him to the Avalanche. Having signed Curtis Joseph for the two seasons following Hasek's retirement, the Wings were saddled with two high-priced goaltenders, and no team would take Joseph off the Wings' hands. The 2003-04 season was problematic for Hasek, who had apparently not given himself enough time to prepare himself for the rigors of an NHL season. He suffered a groin injury, and on January 9, 2004, he and the team agreed he should rest his injury for two to four weeks. At that time, he told general manager Ken Holland that he would not accept any pay while he was out injured. However, he did not make his refusal of pay public at that time. On February 10, he announced that he was not going to continue to play this season, a decision that surprised Red Wings management. Then, on March 12, after Holland discussed Hasek's refusal of pay with reporters, Hasek made the issue public. He eventually refused $3 million of his $6 million salary.

Hasek, like all great players, held great influence throughout his career. During the 1996-97 playoffs, midway through the Buffalo Sabres' first round series against Ottawa, Hasek suffered a sprained knee, and pulled himself from Game 3 of that series. Being the key to the Sabres Cup run, the media speculated that Hasek wasn't doing his utmost to return from the injury, because he was at odds with the eventual Jack Adams Award winner, second year coach Ted Nolan. Hasek was skewered by the media, especially Buffalo area writer Jim Kelley. When the injured Hasek confronted Kelley in the arena hallway about some comments printed by Kelley questioning Hasek's heart, there was an altercation, in which Dominik allegedly choked Kelley, and ripped his shirt. Hasek was suspended for the incident, preventing him from playing (if he would have been physically able) in the early second round games against Philadelphia. The Sabres lost in a short series, and Ted Nolan did not return the next year, upsetting several Buffalo players that had liked him. Hasek's comments about 'being better (for him) if Nolan didn't return' set off a chain reaction that led to the axing of both Nolan and Hasek's friend, general manager John Muckler. After the 2001 playoffs he forced a trade, and was dealt to the Red Wings.

In April 2004, he underwent groin surgery in Prague, and returned to his hometown of Pardubice to recuperate. After Hasek's contract with the Wings had expired, he pondered his new team. Hasek said that he wanted to be on a club that could contend for the Stanley Cup, and specifically named the Ottawa Senators as a possible destination. The Senators signed Hasek to a multiyear deal, but he stated that if an agreement had not been made on the 2005-06 NHL season by the summer of 2005, he would retire from professional hockey. A deal was reached on July 13, 2005, and later ratified by the players and owners. Hasek returned to play for the Senators at the age of 40.

Dominik Hasek was supposed to be one of the biggest hockey stars of 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, but he injured his groin in the first match against Germany, playing only 9 minutes 25 seconds, and had to leave the tournament disappointed. Despite that, after his team finished on the 3rd place, he was awarded the bronze medal too. Meanwhile, he also missed the rest of the regular season despite several rumours that he would have return in time for the playoffs and even during the Conference Semifinal series against Buffalo in which the Senators lost in five games with backup Ray Emery in net.