Who is Dominik Hašek?

Dominik Hašek , born on January 29, 1965, in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic), is a Czech ice hockey goaltender celebrated for his unconventional style. He is the only NHL goalie to win consecutive Hart Trophies as MVP (1997–98). Before joining the NHL, Hašek played for the Czechoslovakian national team and consistently won the award for goaltender of the year in Czechoslovakia between 1986 and 1990. In 2001, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, leading them to a Stanley Cup victory in 2002. After a brief retirement and return, Hašek played with the Ottawa Senators and later returned to the Red Wings. He retired from the NHL with a .922 save percentage, a league record, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

What position did Dominik Hašek play in hockey?

Dominik Hašek was a goaltender in ice hockey, celebrated for his unconventional style. His flexibility allowed him to make saves that were beyond the reach of other goaltenders. Between 1994 and 2001, he won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best goaltender and earned the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998. Hašek led the Czech Republic's national team to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games and won two Stanley Cup championships with the Detroit Red Wings, in 2002 and 2008.

Which NHL teams did Dominik Hašek play for?

Dominik Hašek played for several NHL teams during his career. After playing in Europe, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 1990, but he didn't see much playing time. He was then traded to the Buffalo Sabres , where he became the league's best goalie. In 2001, Hašek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings , leading them to a Stanley Cup win in 2002. After a brief retirement and a season with the Ottawa Senators , he returned to the Red Wings and won another Stanley Cup in 2008.

How did Dominik Hašek help the Czech national team?

Dominik Hašek significantly contributed to the Czech national team, most notably when he led them to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. During that tournament, he recorded an impressive 0.97 goals-against average. Before his NHL debut, Hašek played for the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team and won the Czechoslovakian award for goaltender of the year between 1986 and 1990. He was also honored as Czechoslovakian player of the year in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

What made Dominik Hašek’s goaltending style unique compared to other goalies?

Dominik Hašek , a Czech ice hockey goaltender, was known for his unorthodox style. Because of his flexibility, Hašek developed a unique method of falling to the ice and splaying his limbs to stop shots that would be out of reach for other goalies. Between 1994 and 2001, he won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best goaltender and earned the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998.

Dominik Hašek

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Quick Facts

Born:: January 29, 1965, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia [now in the Czech Republic] (age 61)

Awards And Honors:: Winter Olympic Games; Hockey Hall of Fame (2014); Vezina Trophy (1998); Hart Memorial Trophy (1997); Vezina Trophy (1997); Vezina Trophy (1995); Vezina Trophy (1994)

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Dominik Hašek

Czech hockey player

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Top Questions

Who is Dominik Hašek?
Dominik Hašek, born on January 29, 1965, in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic), is a Czech ice hockey goaltender celebrated for his unconventional style. He is the only NHL goalie to win consecutive Hart Trophies as MVP (1997–98). Before joining the NHL, Hašek played for the Czechoslovakian national team and consistently won the award for goaltender of the year in Czechoslovakia between 1986 and 1990. In 2001, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, leading them to a Stanley Cup victory in 2002. After a brief retirement and return, Hašek played with the Ottawa Senators and later returned to the Red Wings. He retired from the NHL with a .922 save percentage, a league record, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
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1. Dominik Hašek
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What position did Dominik Hašek play in hockey?
Dominik Hašek was a goaltender in ice hockey, celebrated for his unconventional style. His flexibility allowed him to make saves that were beyond the reach of other goaltenders. Between 1994 and 2001, he won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best goaltender and earned the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998. Hašek led the Czech Republic's national team to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games and won two Stanley Cup championships with the Detroit Red Wings, in 2002 and 2008.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dominik Hašek
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Which NHL teams did Dominik Hašek play for?
Dominik Hašek played for several NHL teams during his career. After playing in Europe, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 1990, but he didn't see much playing time. He was then traded to the Buffalo Sabres, where he became the league's best goalie. In 2001, Hašek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, leading them to a Stanley Cup win in 2002. After a brief retirement and a season with the Ottawa Senators, he returned to the Red Wings and won another Stanley Cup in 2008.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dominik Hašek
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What major awards did Dominik Hašek win during his career?
Dominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender celebrated for his unorthodox style. Between 1994 and 2001, he won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best goaltender. He is the only goalie in NHL history to win consecutive Hart Trophies as the most valuable player in 1997 and 1998.

Before joining the NHL, Hašek won the Czechoslovakian award for goaltender of the year between 1986 and 1990. He was also honored as Czechoslovakian player of the year in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

Hašek led the Czech national team to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. He won the Stanley Cup in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings and again in 2008. In 2014, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dominik Hašek
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Dominik Hašek help the Czech national team?
Dominik Hašek significantly contributed to the Czech national team, most notably when he led them to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. During that tournament, he recorded an impressive 0.97 goals-against average. Before his NHL debut, Hašek played for the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team and won the Czechoslovakian award for goaltender of the year between 1986 and 1990. He was also honored as Czechoslovakian player of the year in 1987, 1989, and 1990.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dominik Hašek
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What made Dominik Hašek’s goaltending style unique compared to other goalies?
Dominik Hašek, a Czech ice hockey goaltender, was known for his unorthodox style. Because of his flexibility, Hašek developed a unique method of falling to the ice and splaying his limbs to stop shots that would be out of reach for other goalies. Between 1994 and 2001, he won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best goaltender and earned the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998.
1 Britannica Source
1. Dominik Hašek
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Dominik Hašek (born January 29, 1965, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia [now in the Czech Republic]) is a Czech ice hockey goaltender known for his unorthodox goaltending style. Hašek was the only goaltender in National Hockey League (NHL) history to win consecutive Hart Trophy awards as most valuable player (1997–98).

Hašek started playing ice hockey in Pardubice at age six. Remarkably flexible, he developed a goaltending method that consisted of falling to the ice and splaying his limbs to stop many shots that would be out of the reach of most goaltenders. He went on to play for the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team and won the Czechoslovakian award for goaltender of the year each year between 1986 and 1990. He was honoured as Czechoslovakian player of the year in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

In 1983 Hašek was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 10th round of the NHL draft, but it was not until after Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution (1989) that he left his homeland. In 1990 he made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks but did not receive much playing time, and two years later he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. In December 1993 he stepped in to replace an injured goaltender and recorded five shutouts. By the season’s end he was considered by many to be the best goaltender in the NHL; his 1.95 goals-against average (GAA) was the lowest in the league since the 1973–74 season. Hašek regularly led the league in save percentage and shutouts over the following decade. Between 1994 and 2001 he earned the Vezina Trophy for best NHL goaltender six times. He won the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998. Hašek led the Czech national team to the gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, recording a 0.97 GAA rating. In 2001 he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings and led them to a Stanley Cup championship in 2002.

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Hašek retired soon after, but he came back to the Red Wings after only one season away from professional hockey. An injury, however, prevented him from playing for much of the 2003–04 season. After a labour dispute led to the cancellation of the 2004–05 season, Hašek signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators for the 2005–06 season. He made a solid start with the Senators but was injured at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, and was forced to sit out the remainder of the Games and the NHL season. When Ottawa failed to re-sign him, Hašek returned to Detroit for a third stint with the Red Wings in 2006. In 2007–08 he split goaltending duties during the regular season but played in only four play-off games during Detroit’s run to another Stanley Cup title. Several days after winning the Stanley Cup, Hašek retired, but he returned to professional hockey in 2009 to play for his hometown team in the Czech Republic, HCE Pardubice. In 2010 he signed with the Russian club Spartak Moscow, and in 2012 he retired once again.

Hašek had ended his NHL career with a league-record .922 save percentage and the third lowest GAA (2.37) in NHL history. In 2014 he was selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Dominik Hašek

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