Tigers#1
06-23-2002, 08:13 PM
It looks like Dominik Hasek will be going out a champion.
The Detroit Red Wings star has informed the club that he will retire and return to his native Czech Republic, ending a career that included six Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goalie and two Hart Trophies as the league's MVP, the Buffalo News reported Sunday.
All of those awards were won with the Buffalo Sabres, but it wasn't until he was traded to the Red Wings that he finally won the Stanley Cup.
Detroit beat Carolina 4-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals earlier this month.
Neither Detroit General Manager Ken Holland nor Hasek's agent, Rich Winter, denied the Dominator's plans, but each insisted no decision was finalized.
But a club spokesman on Sunday denied the published report saying Hasek has informed the team he will retire.
"There is no announcement planned, it's just heresay," said Red Wings manager of media relations Michael Kuta. "We cannot confirm the story."
Two unnamed NHL sources told the newspaper that Hasek informed Holland last week he would be going to the Czech Republic to retire. Holland then told his star goalie to think about it for another week before making a definitive announcement.
Holland was asked Saturday at the NHL draft in the Air Canada Centre about Hasek's status. Holland wouldn't say, but he admitted several Red Wings have been trying to coax Hasek into playing one more season. If Hasek informed the Red Wings he was coming back, there would be no reason to give him extra time to reconsider.
Hasek has reneged on retirement plans before. He said three years ago that the 1999-2000 campaign would be his last but changed his mind less than a year later.
Holland said he will get Hasek's ultimate response later this week. But the NHL sources said Holland needed to know Hasek's intentions before the draft, a time when many decisions substantially impact a team's roster needs.
Many believed Hasek would retire after he refused to commit to another season at the Stanley Cup championship celebration in downtown Detroit. Fans chanted "One more year, one more year," and several teammates said they were trying to coax Hasek into returning to the Red Wings.
Hasek's retirement would fall on the heels of Scotty Bowman's departure. Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history, announced his retirement moments after winning his record ninth Stanley Cup.
The Detroit Red Wings star has informed the club that he will retire and return to his native Czech Republic, ending a career that included six Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goalie and two Hart Trophies as the league's MVP, the Buffalo News reported Sunday.
All of those awards were won with the Buffalo Sabres, but it wasn't until he was traded to the Red Wings that he finally won the Stanley Cup.
Detroit beat Carolina 4-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals earlier this month.
Neither Detroit General Manager Ken Holland nor Hasek's agent, Rich Winter, denied the Dominator's plans, but each insisted no decision was finalized.
But a club spokesman on Sunday denied the published report saying Hasek has informed the team he will retire.
"There is no announcement planned, it's just heresay," said Red Wings manager of media relations Michael Kuta. "We cannot confirm the story."
Two unnamed NHL sources told the newspaper that Hasek informed Holland last week he would be going to the Czech Republic to retire. Holland then told his star goalie to think about it for another week before making a definitive announcement.
Holland was asked Saturday at the NHL draft in the Air Canada Centre about Hasek's status. Holland wouldn't say, but he admitted several Red Wings have been trying to coax Hasek into playing one more season. If Hasek informed the Red Wings he was coming back, there would be no reason to give him extra time to reconsider.
Hasek has reneged on retirement plans before. He said three years ago that the 1999-2000 campaign would be his last but changed his mind less than a year later.
Holland said he will get Hasek's ultimate response later this week. But the NHL sources said Holland needed to know Hasek's intentions before the draft, a time when many decisions substantially impact a team's roster needs.
Many believed Hasek would retire after he refused to commit to another season at the Stanley Cup championship celebration in downtown Detroit. Fans chanted "One more year, one more year," and several teammates said they were trying to coax Hasek into returning to the Red Wings.
Hasek's retirement would fall on the heels of Scotty Bowman's departure. Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history, announced his retirement moments after winning his record ninth Stanley Cup.