Hasek shines on star-laden Red Wings

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001

By Lucas Aykroyd

When you look at a photo of our Milky Way Galaxy, the stars are so densely clustered that you can’t distinguish individual luminaries.

You might think a similar effect would occur with Dominik Hasek on the star-laden Detroit Red Wings. But the 36-year-old superstar goaltender looks like he’ll stand out just as much in 2001-02 as he did in his nine hockey seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.

He set the tone in October with wins that carried important symbolic value. First, it was a 4-3 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks in his regular season debut with Detroit. Then, October 12 saw him post a 4-2 win over the Sabres in his first confrontation with his old teammates.

“I was very nervous, especially before my first game,” Hasek admitted. “But when I picked up my first win, I felt more comfortable.”

The Pardubice native had no trouble finding his comfort zone last year. His record of 37-24-4 and 2.11 GAA earned him the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie and a berth on the NHL First All-Star Team.

But Hasek doesn’t intend to live off past glories.

“It was very important for me to get a good start,” said Hasek. “Even though I’ve spent many years in this league, it’s a new organization with new people.”

“New people” is right. The Detroit brass showed their commitment to winning the Stanley Cup this year by making such pricey off-season acquisitions as Hasek and high-scoring wingers Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.

The question is whether the aging roster—second-oldest on average in the league after Dallas, with 12 players over 30—can provide the energy and scoring support Hasek will need to claim his first Cup.

Early indications look good. Hasek says he has recovered from a mystery illness that had him hospitalized for two weeks in the Czech Republic this summer. Team doctors will continue to monitor the $8-million goalie to ensure the joint-related pain he suffered doesn’t flare up again.

“I’m happy to have Dominik Hasek playing for our team,” said Detroit center Igor Larionov, a long-time hockey rival of Hasek’s with the Soviet national team. “I hope he’ll be healthy for the whole season so that he can give us a good chance.”

Hasek and Larionov may enjoy a friendly rivalry off the ice this year, as they share chess as a favorite brain-stimulating hobby.

Scotty Bowman, the reigning grandmaster of NHL coaches, doesn’t mince words when discussing Hasek’s value to his team.

“In the last five years, he’s arguably been in the top three players in the league,” said Bowman. “Jaromir Jagr has been the dominant offensive player, and Hasek and a few defensemen have been the dominant defensive players. Since he’s a goalie, it’s even more valuable.”

Playing goal for the Wings has not been an easy assignment in recent years. That’s not due to any lack of support from legendary defensemen like Nicklas Lidstrom, Larry Murphy or Viacheslav Fetisov. Instead, high expectations from the fans and media place enormous pressure on the man between the pipes.

Many in Detroit feel that the team could have forged a dynasty rivalling the 1980’s Edmonton Oilers or the 1970’s Montreal Canadiens if it had received better goaltending. Tim Cheveldae, Bob Essensa and Bill Ranford are among the names who failed to deliver in the playoffs.

Hasek, the two-time league MVP, is expected to carry the Wings all the way. He may be temperamental and quirky off the ice, as his outbursts with reporters and premature hints at retirement indicate. But nobody doubts his composure on the ice.

“The general managers vote on the Vezina Trophy and he got voted top goalie,” said Bowman. “That’s not a popularity vote. It’s a performance vote.”

Besides the challenge of dethroning the Colorado Avalanche for Western Conference supremacy and a shot at the Cup, Hasek has another incentive to perform this season. At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, he could lead the Czech Republic to its second straight gold medal.

Several Czech goalies have emerged among the NHL’s elite since Hasek’s virtuoso performance in 1998, including Roman Cechmanek and Roman Turek. But in February, there’s little doubt that Hasek will get the call to start from Head Coach Ivan Hlinka.

Hasek may flop around in unorthodox fashion on the ice, but he knows how to stay rooted. He often thanks his schoolteachers when winning an award. He established the Dominik Hasek Youth Sport and Scholarship fund in May 2001 to help underprivileged children in the city of Buffalo.

If history is any indication, his star will burn brightly in the seasons to come in Detroit.