You’ve all heard “The Twelve Days of Christmas“, an English Christmas carol that’s been around for a couple of centuries now. Here’s a Darth Vader version in honor of the man who always had the Force with him when he played –
5. A Dominik Hasek statue in the Alumni Plaza
In the entire history of the Buffalo Sabres (and probably the NHL), there has never been a goaltender quite like Dominik Hasek. His very unorthodox style made the hockey purists blanch at his on-ice antics, but his ‘surgically precise flailing’ did more good than bad, especially for an otherwise average team around the turn of the century.
On this fine Sunday, enjoy some of the best saves Dominik Hasek made while he was with the Buffalo Sabres.
Posted by Die by the Blade on Sunday, December 4, 2016
He carried Buffalo on his back in the ‘98-’99 season, taking the team almost all the way to the Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup – still the closest the franchise has come to the title. Hasek was also the first goalie to win the Hart Trophy for best player in the NHL twice, and picked up six Vezina Trophy awards (best goalie in NHL) during his Buffalo tenure as well.
While there has been some bad blood between previous ownership at the Sabres and Hasek, in recent times bridges have been mended with Buffalo retiring his #39 jersey in the 2014-15 season, months after his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
So with that said, now it’s also time for the Sabres organization to take the next step and erect a statue to ‘The Dominator’.
I mean, look at those numbers, and that’s only with the Sabres. Tell us your favorite Hasek-Sabres memories in the comments below.