The Buffalo Sabres announced they were making a documentary about Dominik Hasěk, a former goaltender who revolutionized the position, on Jan. 31.
Finally, something hockey-related where I’m not screaming “SHOOT THE PUCK!” at my monitor in my dorm room.
You may be wondering, why is someone from Massachusetts writing about the Buffalo Sabres, one of the most underrated hockey teams in the NHL?
To tell you the truth, it was all influenced by my dad who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. I may not have been born during the time the Sabres were in the playoffs, but I heard stories about Hasěk through word of mouth from family members.
The first time I heard his name, my brothers were trying out for their travel team in the Mites division at five-years-old. While other NHL goalies used the stand-up or butterfly method, Hasěk made up his own method by rolling over in the net, coming out of the crease to trip players and catching the puck in different positions no one had ever thought of.
Since then, my younger brother Jack, now 16-years-old, has worn Hasěk’s number 39 for most of his life in his career as a goalie.
Since the documentary’s announcement, excitement coursed through my veins because I could learn more about Hasěk with my own two eyes.
I quickly texted the pessimistic dad and uncles’ group chat about the announcement to see if they shared the same feelings. News flash: one of my uncles felt differently.
“Have not…sounds like I should?” my uncle said.
“He’s the ‘Dominator’ bro,” I replied.
“Yes… I lived it bro,” my uncle said.
That’s true, I thought to myself as I sat in my favorite chair in The Good Five Cent Cigar office and turned on my laptop to watch.
“We do not deserve him!” Rick Jeanneret said.
The words of the late play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Sabres ring in my ears as a clip of Hasěk passes through the screen.
“Always the Goalie,” follows Hasěk sharing his journey of how he became an NHL goaltender in 1980. While talking, Hasěk gives a tour of Enteria Arena in Pardubice, Czechia, where he grew up. Teammates and coaches during Hasěk’s time gave interviews, sharing what he was like on and off the ice.
“[Hasěk] wouldn’t let you leave the ice until he stopped your shots,” former Buffalo Sabres forward Rob Ray said.
One part of the documentary that struck me was that if Hasěk left Czechia to play for the NHL right when he was drafted in 1983, he couldn’t go back for fear of punishment for defection, as the draft was in the middle of the Cold War.
This broke my heart because no one should have to live like that.
Although he was apprehensive, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 1990 before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres two years later, when he officially rose to stardom. Fans started calling him “The Dominator,” because of the insane moves he made.
You may disagree with me, but the documentary proves Dominik Hasěk is the greatest goalie of all time. No one else can compare to his talent.
