PASabreFan Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 The one time I met him he was very nice. He forgot his tooth though. Awkward. This might trump Aud's story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlueGED Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Maybe he was bipolar? Because I met him the first time at the autograph session following the goathead jersey unveil, and he was awesome. I was just a kid at the time, but I remember waiting in line over 3 hours through the Aud's winding halls not even being able to see him, and worrying they'd call it all off before I got to the front. But I did eventually get up there, and the poor guy's hand was shaking from so many, like he had advanced Parkinsons. But he was still super friendly and when I said I wanted to be a goalie just like him he said "you can do it bud." Just awesome for 11 year old me. Playing street hockey and whatnot growing up I always wanted to be a goalie just because of him. Tried to model my style after him and everything (as you can imagine, I was less than sucessful). He's probably the biggest reason I ever became a hockey fan, as I was a football fan in my earlier fan years, but I was just drawn to watching him on the ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabills Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think I appreciate Hasek way more now than I did back then, and not even just because of hindsight. I've started watching highlight reels and such of him, and he was just amazing. Back when he was playing I pretty much listened to them on the radio unless they happened to be on HNiC; we didn't have cable. As great a job as RJ did making him sound exciting...well, he could make Novotny sound just as exciting. Now that I've started to actually watch a lot more of his stuff, its breathtaking/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think I appreciate Hasek way more now than I did back then, and not even just because of hindsight. I've started watching highlight reels and such of him, and he was just amazing. Back when he was playing I pretty much listened to them on the radio unless they happened to be on HNiC; we didn't have cable. As great a job as RJ did making him sound exciting...well, he could make Novotny sound just as exciting. Now that I've started to actually watch a lot more of his stuff, its breathtaking/ Trying to actually be a goalie makes Hasek even more impressive. I watch what he does and think to myself that there's no way at any point in my life that I could have moved around like him. I'm positive he's not human. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I hope Pegula sits Rex Ryan in front of Dom in the owner's box, just so we can hear one more, "Must See! Must See!"........ Then Rex turns around punches him in the face and says No See!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Watching him play for the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final ( my housemates were Penguins fans) and thinking this dude is weird, but he is stopping the puck somehow! Him making save after save in the 4 OT game...long story but somewhat led to me being married. :worthy: His exit after the Kasparitus goal...the way he skated off the ice, his body language, something was just off....not to much later we found out why Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 To me, the whole thing screams of a marketing ploy to give people a reason... any reason... to be interested in this abomination of a team. When the on-ice product is unwatchable... honor a former player. They've wanted to do it for a few years but wanted to wait until he officially retired. That wasn't until late 2012. Then Sabres Hall of Fame on March 29 and into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 My favorite Hasek moment was actually him winning the Olympics. He was wearing a helmet with the Sabres logo on it because his Olympic helmet had a "malfunction." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stenbaro Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 A very good friend of mine is on the Sabres equipment staff, and as luck would have it he has always given me access to some great autograph sessions and some great gear along the way./ It was between games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 99 and the Sabres were holding a practice session at the old pepsi center now the Northtown center I believe, well anyways my son was 8 yrs old at the time and his Favorite player was Hasek so I took him down to watch the Sabres practice and my friend after the practice called me and my son over and gave my lil boy a tour of the tiny locker room and brought him over to Hasek who then picked him up on and talked to him for over 15 minutes played a lil locker hockey and signed his goalie stick and gave it to him..That was my personal favorite story.. Hasek had so many great Saves, great games its hard to pick any one as my favorite, We all know them we replay them again in our head every time we see an opponent score against us and we all think in our minds damn Hasek would've stopped that, I will be there tonight with my 2 sons and my best friend and I will shed a tear of happiness knowing that I was able to see and witness one of the ALLTIME GREAT ATHLETES of OUR TIME play his sport... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Some of you know I'm a relatively recent hockey fan. Well, Dom was probably the first living player to absolutely fascinate me. d4rk wasted no time in showing me highlight reels and explaining what he meant to Buffalo, and it works out that he played for my home team too. Hasek is a big reason for my hockey obsession. Amazing to watch. Did a quick painting of him today- small version of it is up there in my icon. Looking forward to seeing the ceremony tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Greatest professional athlete to ever wear a Buffalo uniform His exit after the Kasparitus goal...the way he skated off the ice, his body language, something was just off....not to much later we found out why That was sad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKnowPhysics Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Just a couple, because I don't have the time. From 1992 to 2001, NINE YEARS, he crushed the rest of the league with Buffalo. SIX of those years, he won the Vezina, which, by definition, made him "adjudged to be the best at this position." Since '82, when this criteria for the Vezina was adopted, he's won it more than any other goaltender (Brodeur with 4, Roy with 3). He was the first and only goalie to win the Hart Trophy TWICE, both times with Buffalo. In '98, he carried the Czechs to a gold medal in Nagano. That was fun as hell to watch. He was an early master of the butterfly technique, but really elevated the position so much more with his distinctive and innovative improvisation and determination. This not only made him a truly dominant force on the ice and a major contributor to the sport, but also a player that was fascinating and hilariously fun to watch on a nightly basis. Articles detailing his routine shutdown of opponents, like "Dominator Does His Thing Again," were commonplace. He was a major part of a very competitive Sabres team, he gave the team a chance to win every night he laced them up, his dominance intimidated opponents, he brought home a lot of hardware, and he was a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Blizzard Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) I thought this was an appropriate thread to make my first post on the site. I've been a long time reader, but thought I'd start chiming in now and then. I have nothing but fond memories of Dominik Hasek. To have an athlete play at the level he played for so many years was a blessing to Buffalo fans. He is perhaps the greatest talent that has ever worn a Buffalo sports uniform. I guess we can debate Kelly, Bruce, Thurman, OJ, Gilbert and Patty L, but in my opinion, none of them ascended to the heights of their respective positions and sports the way Hasek did. It was a pleasure being a fan of this team with him in that uniform. I still find myself watching his highlights and getting chills and goose bumps, oh what could have been with a little more offense. Off the ice, a bit quirky, always good for a laugh and a heart of gold. On the ice he was as competitive as they come. Have a great night DOM !! Edited January 13, 2015 by Georgia Blizzard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I thought this was an appropriate thread to make my first post on the site. I've been a long time reader, but thought I'd start chiming in now and then. I have nothing but fond memories of Dominik Hasek. To have an athlete play at the level he played for so many years was a blessing to Buffalo fans. He is perhaps the greatest talent that has ever worn a Buffalo sports uniform. I guess we can debate Kelly, Bruce, Thurman, OJ, Gilbert and Patty L, but in my opinion, none of them ascended to the heights of their respective positions and sports the way Hasek did. It was a pleasure being a fan of this team with him in that uniform. I still find myself watching his highlights and getting chills and goose bumps, oh what could have been with a little more offense. Off the ice, a bit quirky, always good for a laugh and a heart of gold. On the ice he was as competitive as they come. Have a great night DOM !! Welcome aboard. We put the D in Dysfunctional at times, but we are one big family around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samson's Flow Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Welcome aboard. We put the D in Dysfunctional at times, but we are one big family around here. and we take the "D" out of Coy Hogson lately as well. Watching the Dom play goal was probably the first real memories I had as a Sabre fan when I was young. I remember during the 99 cup run we had to attend a wedding during one of the early round playoff games. There was a tiny (I mean like 19" incher) tv set up in the back room of the church, and of course halfway through the ceremony me, my father and about 15 other guys were huddled around the tv watching Dom and Sabres win a playoff game. It was a pretty wild scene (and I'm sure the bride was none too pleased). Staying up late to watch him carry the team back then was great. There was this feeling that the other team just had no chance to score (even though looking back i'm sure our Corsi/Fenwick was atrocious) and we just needed to wait until the Sabres forwards could pot one. The flair and routinely amazing plays are one of the things that hooked me forever as a die hard Buffalo Sabres fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Dwight Drane Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I thought this was an appropriate thread to make my first post on the site. I've been a long time reader, but thought I'd start chiming in now and then. I have nothing but fond memories of Dominik Hasek. To have an athlete play at the level he played for so many years was a blessing to Buffalo fans. He is perhaps the greatest talent that has ever worn a Buffalo sports uniform. I guess we can debate Kelly, Bruce, Thurman, OJ, Gilbert and Patty L, but in my opinion, none of them ascended to the heights of their respective positions and sports the way Hasek did. It was a pleasure being a fan of this team with him in that uniform. I still find myself watching his highlights and getting chills and goose bumps, oh what could have been with a little more offense. Off the ice, a bit quirky, always good for a laugh and a heart of gold. On the ice he was as competitive as they come. Have a great night DOM !! Good stuff! OJ and Dom. If you could have one guy in their prime on your team, from every Buffalo sports season....those are the two for sure. Off the field/ice they are just as interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samson's Flow Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Good stuff! OJ and Dom. If you could have one guy in their prime on your team, from every Buffalo sports season....those are the two for sure. Off the field/ice they are just as interesting. For all the complaining about Dom off the ice, I think he is clearly the better model citizen when compared to OJ. Which is scary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudacek Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Bruce Smith is the only other athlete even in the conversation with those two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Bruce Smith is the only other athlete even in the conversation with those two. Bob McAdoo might like to have a word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I still find myself watching his highlights and getting chills and goose bumps, oh what could have been with a little more offense. Toward the end, sure. I go back to wondering what could have been had Hasek been the Dominator in 92-93. Andreychuk, Hawerchuk, 89 and 16 tearing it up. The Andreychuk trade might have made some sense at the time, but only months later it looked horrible. On the other hand, Dom certainly benefited from a more defensive posture in 93-94 after LaLa went down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Seems like the right time to bring this back up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlueGED Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Bob McAdoo might like to have a word. If we're bringing in secondary Buffalo sports, you have to include John Tavares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samson's Flow Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 If we're bringing in secondary Buffalo sports, you have to include John Tavares. Relative to the historical talent in NLL, Tavares is the best NLL player ever. He's their Wayne Gretzky. In terms of big 4 and talent level, it's Dom, Bruce and OJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Seems like the right time to bring this back up :51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BagBoy Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 The first 2 years of the Hurricanes’ existence, they played here in Greensboro. Greensboro’s not exactly a backwater town, but compared to Raleigh and Charlotte, it is a distant third in hockey sophistication here in NC. I went to a Sabres game in Greensboro with 9 people from work once and it was a blast. Naturally, the other 9 were cheering for Carolina and berating me the whole time (totally in fun). There was some other guy in our vicinity wearing a black Goatshead Miroslav Satan jersey. I tried to explain to some poor yocal (not one of my 9 pals) that this was not some sort of satanic reference, but he was hearing none of it. At some point very late in the game, Dom pulled some kind of amazing sequence of inhuman saves that to a layperson simply did not appear possible. I screamed “He’s the best goalie in the world!!!”. Most of the Canes fans around me (not my work pals) wanted to punch me, and I probably would have enjoyed it if someone had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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