There will never be another goaltender like Dominik Hasek; I’m quite confident. And I was lucky enough to have watched and witnessed “The Dominator” in the prime of his NHL career as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
When the Sabres raised Hasek’s blue and yellow number 39 to the rafters of the First Niagara Center earlier this week, I was forced to remember the hockey heartache Hasek often caused as the opposing goalie of the teams I cheered for.
It was the beginning of 1998, and I had recently watched a VHS recording of Hasek almost shutting out team Canada and, after an agonizing 10-minute overtime period, stopping shootout attempts by Theoren Fleury, Ray Bourque, Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros and Brendan Shanahan to help the Czech Republic defeat the heavily-favourited Canadians 2-1 in the semi final of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Hasek let in only six goals the entire tournament and shutout the Russians in the final to win Olympic gold.
Of course, Hasek didn’t earn the nickname “The Dominator” for nothing, or simply because his first name is Dominik. He was the only goalie who could truly dominate and alter the outlook of an entire game, providing whatever team he played for an immensely better chance to win on any given night. The night of Friday, March 27, 1998, I got to witness his domination firsthand.
Yes, the Sabres, donning their black and red jerseys of that era, were in town that night to take on the surging Edmonton Oilers at the Edmonton Coliseum (currently, Rexall Place). The school I attended for most of my childhood was cool enough to purchase tickets for my classmates and me to attend this particular hockey game; although, I’m sure we fundraised the money ourselves. Long story short, the game was entertaining and memorable because the Oilers outplayed and out-chanced the Sabres; plus, it was the first and only time I was on the jumbotron. However, the game became frustrating to watch because of that damn goalie at the other end of the rink that was capable of stopping anything.
When Hasek was on his game, it was virtually impossible to get a puck past the man. Bill Guerin gave the Oilers the best chance to score that night when, on the power play, he gathered a loose puck behind the Sabres goal and quickly wrapped it around to the wide-open side of the net. In a split second, Hasek dropped his goal stick, fell to the ice on his back and covered the entire width of the crease with his body, flailing his arms and legs in the process in hopes of intercepting the path of the puck before it crossed the red line behind him.
The Oilers and their fans actually thought Guerin had scored. The Oilers players raised their sticks and began to embrace in a celebration. The arena erupted with horns and cheers as the red light illuminated behind the goal. But the referee standing behind the net interrupted the party with one abrupt swoosh of his arms, waving off the goal.
The cheers from the crowd immediately morphed into boos as the ref skated to the timekeepers box to get on the phone and further discuss the play. And the slow-motion-zoomed-in-overhead instant replay on the jumbotron revealed that the puck had trickled under Hasek’s right arm and rolled precariously on the goal line before Hasek was able to get his blocker on top of the puck. Nobody could tell if the puck had crossed the line or not. It was too close. It was unbelievable. I had never witnessed anything like it. The play was ruled no goal and Hasek would earn his 12th shutout of an eventual 13-shutout season, a Sabres record.
Sometimes, it was like Hasek had this sort of extra sense that allowed him know where the puck was at all times, even if he couldn’t see it. Some commentators have compared Hasek’s unique, unorthodox style of goaltending to a fish flipping and flopping around the crease. But Hasek’s innovative style meant that he was never out of the play, that there was always a chance he could save any shot from any player he faced.
A lot of nights Hasek was unbeatable, winning games almost singlehandedly. He had the uncanny ability of getting into the heads of his opponents, demoralizing teams and superstars like no other goaltender before him. He was a true superstar and innovator of his position and we will never see another like him.
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