Congratulations Dominik Hasek!! — being inducted tonight into the Hockey Hall of Fame! (on live right now on TSN in Canada) The greatest and most influential goalie to ever play the sport. He did to goaltending what Jimi Hendrix did to guitar — revolutionizing the art form — the same as Orr to defensemen or Gretzky to forwards. ... The snow angel, the dropped stick save, the goalie mask as a defensive weapon, the Hasek roll where hed tumble his torso on the ice 180 degrees to face the opposite direction, the freedom to improvise beyond any one style ... an with mind-boggling athleticism And with all those innovations, he also has *the best career save percentage* of any goalie since they started keeping the statistic — and he didnt even play in the NHL until he was 26, and wasnt a starter for 3 seasons after that — when most athletes are past their prime. He was drafted at 18, but because his native Czech Republic was breaking apart at the time, he didnt want to leave his family or country, and refused the money and fame until things were settled at home. He also kept going to university and had a degree in history before he ever played a game in the NHL — gotta be the only player to ever hold that distinction. He founded a charity, Haseks Heroes, for underprivileged kids to be able to play hockey in Buffalo, the first city that made him a starter, and he continues to fund it 15 years after he left the city. When he felt he couldnt play well enough one year in Detroit, he told the team to stop paying him. Ever heard of a pro athlete doing *that*? He single-handedly won the Czech Republic its only Gold Medal ever in hockey, letting in all of 6 goals the entire Olympics, and was named Player of the Tournament — prompting no less than Wayne Gretzky to call him the greatest hockey *player* in the world. He also won the best player Hart Trophy in the NHL — twice — the only goalie to ever do that. Plus of course *a half dozen* Vezinas and a couple Stanley Cups. But it was HOW he did it. Hes an ambidextrous freak of nature with a Gumby-like body that bends in ways that others dont. As the MasterCard ad featuring him concluded — Having a Slinky for a spine – priceless. One of his teammates said of his lithe, skinny, ultra-fit frame — When he doesnt have his equipment on, if he turns sideways, you cant see him. :-o He used to stay on the ice after practice and have teammates shoot the puck at his head (!) so he could practice making saves with his mask. And he has an *hilarious* crazy sense of humor. His teammates on every team rave about him as both a character and a person. His Buffalo teammates nicknamed him Kramer (from Seinfeld). When I brought up Hasek one time with somebody high up in both the NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame, he told me, Of all the players in the NHL, thats the one guy Id most like to be friends with. Seeing him in these various video tributes for the first time in a long time, he actually brings tears to my eyes that anybody can be this good. Enjoy this one (in Full Screen) for a taste. https://youtube/watch?v=k2NzeQ6GMt4
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 01:06:16 +0000
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