Dominik Hašek

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.

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.