Dominik Hasek

[bunomatic]

And yet he was. and he used the threat of retirement to do it.

Well then if true I have to agree with the sentiment of why would you ever invite the guy back. I could see the welcome mat going out with a new G.M. and management team in place but you would think there would be some long standing issues of bitterness and hard feelings towards Dom if he truly pulled that over on the team. Always thought of him as being a little selfish and not much of a team guy but this... :unsure:

[SwampD]

I'm cool with that line of thought. I was just yankin yer chain.

I actually don't get that worked up over any of it. Like I said upthread, I'm more upset at the ownership we've had the past decade than I am at the players who have had to deal with it.

[Weave]

Well then if true I have to agree with the sentiment of why would you ever invite the guy back. I could see the welcome mat going out with a new G.M. and management team in place but you would think there would be some long standing issues of bitterness and hard feelings towards Dom if he truly pulled that over on the team. Always thought of him as being a little selfish and not much of a team guy but this... :unsure:

 

It was very well documented. Dom never denied orchestrating that trade with a threat of retirement if it didn't happen. IIRC he went public with the threat.

 

One last thought here......

Darcy Regier was the GM when that Hasek deal went down. I would expect that Darcy has some pretty strong negative feelings towards Dom given how he was showed up in that situation. Does anyone think that nothing happens with Dom until after Darcy is gone?

[LGR4GM]

Marian Hossa. Got traded to originally because he wanted to win. Then signed a 1 year deal with Detroit than didn't win and went to Chicago and finally won. So players make moves if the are in it to win it.

 

I have never played professional sports but I have played in college under terrible coaches and it just drags you down when they don't understand what it takes to win.

 

Lets see what or if Dom says anything tonight about the situation or he just says thanks for bringing me back. Either way he was great and that alone means his number should get retired. Maybe we can get him to be enroth's goalie development coach! :clapping:

[Stoner]

It was very well documented. Dom never denied orchestrating that trade with a threat of retirement if it didn't happen. IIRC he went public with the threat.

 

One last thought here......

Darcy Regier was the GM when that Hasek deal went down. I would expect that Darcy has some pretty strong negative feelings towards Dom given how he was showed up in that situation. Does anyone think that nothing happens with Dom until after Darcy is gone?

 

If this means Darcy will be gone by puck drop tonight, great!

[Taro T]

No way, and I contend that Peca refusing to honor his contract (and that's what he did) may even have led Dom leaving.

 

If Peca had played poorly the year before would he have tried to renegotiate? No way. Not eva.

Except that's NOT what he did. He was an RFA that declined going to arbitration (as almost ALL of his value to the team was in 'intangibles' which didn't find their way into an arbitration valuation) because he knew he'd end up w/ a better deal working through his agent rather than an arbitrator. (And w/ the deal the Isles gave him, he ended up being correct in that.)

 

His agent started w/ a ridiculously large request and the Sabres started ridiculously low. Had they both started near $2.7/ which is where he probably should have ended up that year, he'd have signed about the 2nd week of October. They both dug in their heels and Peca was history. Peca dug in because he knew how difficult negotiations were during the criminals' era and because he felt insulted by the initial offer; the criminals because they didn't have any free cash to give to an employee - their little stock repurchase on borrowed money was blowing up in their face at the time.

 

Had the Sabres traded him at the deadline that year, they had a very realistic chance of making the finals. They needed 1 goal in either of 2 games to get to Joisey and they absolutely had Joisey's # that year. Had they signed Peca in December, I really believe they would have won the SC that year. They weren't about to do either because Peca wouldn't sign for the (relative) pittance that the Sabres could afford and they weren't about to bring in a player that would cost as much as Peca was worth. They needed cheap players to replace Peca w/ - thus the trade for potential in what they got from the Isles.

 

Their not picking up their captain or anything for him in a year they were loaded for a serious run at it, showed Dom that they weren't serious about winning. So I definitely agree that the Peca situation directly led to Dom leaving. He had just dropped serious cake the year before on his youth hockey program in Buffalo; you don't drop money like that in a community that you are planning to leave w/in a year.

[Stoner]

Well then if true I have to agree with the sentiment of why would you ever invite the guy back. I could see the welcome mat going out with a new G.M. and management team in place but you would think there would be some long standing issues of bitterness and hard feelings towards Dom if he truly pulled that over on the team. Always thought of him as being a little selfish and not much of a team guy but this... :unsure:

 

Since you seem a bit skeptical... some quotes from the day after:

 

"I told him (Regier), "No, no, no - he was asking for too much,' and I said, "I won't go to Detroit if you ask for too many players."

 

"I told him, "I need every good player on this team.'"

 

When someone asked Hasek if he was concerned that the Sabres would get an elite player in exchange for him, Hasek replied, "Of course, and I would never let him do it."

 

"It was sort of business. It was nothing about community or money. It was strictly who you're going to have on the ice," pronounced Hasek. "And of course, I wanted the best players in front of me on the ice (with the Wings)."

[dumb_dumb88]

Frankly, I don't give a ###### about Dom's perspective in this. I'm a Sabres fan first, a Hasek fan second. He :censored: over the team by threatening to retire if he wasn't traded and then made sure we didn't get anything near equal value in return for the league's top goalie. It was an egotistical, self-centered move that was nothing more than a giant middle finger to the organization, and by extension, the fans and city.

 

He may have thought he was sticking it to the team/owners by doing this, he may not have known how bad he was screwing the rest of the team, city and fans, but he did it. And to sugarcoat it and act like it was no big deal is ridiculous.

 

IMO he needs to apologize and own up to what he did.

What's ridiculous is to think that all athletes aren't self-centered, egotistical or motivated by their own agenda's.

IMO he not only does not need to apologize, but further more, fans such as yourself should have the maturity to thank Dom for the stellar job he did while he played for Buffalo and the legendary memories he left while he wore the uniform.

 

You want to talk about being a Sabres fan first, then showing appreciation for a player that let it all hang on out on the ice, game in and game out for this organization and it's fans should be priority one. As stated time and again in response to this subject, I can understand how some of the fan base feels, but to me, it's a betrayel of what the Buffalo fan base represents. It shows a lack of true class to me.

[SwampD]

Except that's NOT what he did. He was an RFA that declined going to arbitration (as almost ALL of his value to the team was in 'intangibles' which didn't find their way into an arbitration valuation) because he knew he'd end up w/ a better deal working through his agent rather than an arbitrator. (And w/ the deal the Isles gave him, he ended up being correct in that.)

 

His agent started w/ a ridiculously large request and the Sabres started ridiculously low. Had they both started near $2.7/ which is where he probably should have ended up that year, he'd have signed about the 2nd week of October. They both dug in their heels and Peca was history. Peca dug in because he knew how difficult negotiations were during the criminals' era and because he felt insulted by the initial offer; the criminals because they didn't have any free cash to give to an employee - their little stock repurchase on borrowed money was blowing up in their face at the time.

 

Had the Sabres traded him at the deadline that year, they had a very realistic chance of making the finals. They needed 1 goal in either of 2 games to get to Joisey and they absolutely had Joisey's # that year. Had they signed Peca in December, I really believe they would have won the SC that year. They weren't about to do either because Peca wouldn't sign for the (relative) pittance that the Sabres could afford and they weren't about to bring in a player that would cost as much as Peca was worth. They needed cheap players to replace Peca w/ - thus the trade for potential in what they got from the Isles.

 

Their not picking up their captain or anything for him in a year they were loaded for a serious run at it, showed Dom that they weren't serious about winning. So I definitely agree that the Peca situation directly led to Dom leaving. He had just dropped serious cake the year before on his youth hockey program in Buffalo; you don't drop money like that in a community that you are planning to leave w/in a year.

I still think choosing to take a year off was a bad idea on his part. He had a real chance to win a Cup that year (a better chance than when he was with Edmonton, imo). Also, choosing Zero money over a couple million seems kinda dumb to me.

 

I'm a little fuzzy on what being a RFA means so forgive me my stupid questions.

 

Did he have no contract going into that season?

 

If no, were there offers from other teams if he was available, and could he have forced the Sabres hand somehow?

[Weave]

You want to talk about being a Sabres fan first, then showing appreciation for a player that let it all hang on out on the ice, game in and game out for this organization and it's fans should be priority one.

 

Sounds good. But remember, we are talking about the guy who feigned injury in the playoffs cuz he didn't like how it was going. He didn't have any compunction about leaving his team out to dry when he was frustrated. And in doing so, left the fans out to dry as well.

 

As stated time and again in response to this subject, I can understand how some of the fan base feels, but to me, it's a betrayel of what the Buffalo fan base represents. It shows a lack of true class to me.

 

LOL Not wanting to honor a guy who threw the team and the fanbase under a bus shows a lack of class? Wow.

 

 

What strikes me here is, this fanbase is so hungry for any kind of success that they'll run back to a guy who torpedoed the team and its fans. Abused wife syndrome. They have nothing great to look back on recently so they resort to honoring someone who spurned them. I can't imagine Detroit honoring a guy who threw theor team under a bus. They have real heroes to honor. We don't. So we lower ourselves to honoring the guy who feigned injury and scuttled the team.

[Bmwolf21]

What's ridiculous is to think that all athletes aren't self-centered, egotistical or motivated by their own agenda's.

IMO he not only does not need to apologize, but further more, fans such as yourself should have the maturity to thank Dom for the stellar job he did while he played for Buffalo and the legendary memories he left while he wore the uniform.

 

You want to talk about being a Sabres fan first, then showing appreciation for a player that let it all hang on out on the ice, game in and game out for this organization and it's fans should be priority one. As stated time and again in response to this subject, I can understand how some of the fan base feels, but to me, it's a betrayel of what the Buffalo fan base represents. It shows a lack of true class to me.

So I should not only "let it go" but bend over and thank Dom for :censored: us over? Yeah, that'll happen.

 

Just because some fans are so enamored by what a player can do on the ice or court or field that they'll overlook everything else they do doesn't make them classier or more mature fans.

 

I certainly do appreciate what he did on the ice. You would know that if you had read further into the thread.

But what he did off the ice was reprehensible to me, and he doesn't get a pass on :censored: us over because he was an all-time legendary goalie.

 

I don't think that he thought about how the fans would react. If he didn't care about the city or region he wouldn't have continued his hockey school and charitable works in the region.

 

Thanks for weighing in on my class and maturity, though. Means a lot to me.

[Bmwolf21]

Sounds good. But remember, we are talking about the guy who feigned injury in the playoffs cuz he didn't like how it was going. He didn't have any compunction about leaving his team out to dry when he was frustrated. And in doing so, left the fans out to dry as well.

 

 

 

LOL Not wanting to honor a guy who threw the team and the fanbase under a bus shows a lack of class? Wow.

 

 

What strikes me here is, this fanbase is so hungry for any kind of success that they'll run back to a guy who torpedoed the team and its fans. Abused wife syndrome. They have nothing great to look back on recently so they resort to honoring someone who spurned them. I can't imagine Detroit honoring a guy who threw theor team under a bus. They have real heroes to honor. We don't. So we lower ourselves to honoring the guy who feigned injury and scuttled the team.

Wow, great post on all points.

[LGR4GM]

There is a lot of anger about this and I understand why, I wonder if people feel the same about Briere and Drury... of course that was ownership playing with themselves. Dom is great whether he left in a terrible way or not. However if people feel that he does not deserve recognition because he was an @sshole when he left, I understand that completely. Bottom line though, booing him tonight will just make the fans look bad and he probably wouldn't care. Sabres fans are hungry for all things great because it has been such a rough ride. If any town in the history of the NHL deserved a cup more because of terrible luck, enduring hardship, retarded owners, ect... than you would have to make one hell of case for it. At this point in time no team in the NHL deserves a cup more than this one, and that includes Canada.

[Weave]

There is a lot of anger about this and I understand why, I wonder if people feel the same about Briere and Drury... of course that was ownership playing with themselves. Dom is great whether he left in a terrible way or not. However if people feel that he does not deserve recognition because he was an @sshole when he left, I understand that completely. Bottom line though, booing him tonight will just make the fans look bad and he probably wouldn't care. Sabres fans are hungry for all things great because it has been such a rough ride. If any town in the history of the NHL deserved a cup more because of terrible luck, enduring hardship, retarded owners, ect... than you would have to make one hell of case for it. At this point in time no team in the NHL deserves a cup more than this one, and that includes Canada.

 

My take is that the puck drop tonight is a test drive. Ownership wants to see if the fans are receptive to honoring Hasek. If he gets a hero's welcome, he'll be up in the rafters in the near future. If he is met with a luke warm reception (or worse) honoring Hasek will be shelved.

 

If the fans boo the puck drop, it isn't becuase they are bad people. It is because they don't agree with the honor. They have every right (and maybe even a responsibility) to voice their opinion. And I hope they do whether they are OK with Hasek or not. Their opinion should be heard. Ownership should be made aware of where the fans stand in regards to Hasek.

[Taro T]

I still think choosing to take a year off was a bad idea on his part. He had a real chance to win a Cup that year (a better chance than when he was with Edmonton, imo). Also, choosing Zero money over a couple million seems kinda dumb to me.

 

I'm a little fuzzy on what being a RFA means so forgive me my stupid questions.

 

Did he have no contract going into that season?

 

If no, were there offers from other teams if he was available, and could he have forced the Sabres hand somehow?

Peca had no contract in that off-season. He was an RFA. Any other team could have made him an offer that the Sabres would have had the right to match; had the Sabres not matched the offer the other team would have had to give up 3-5 #1's depending upon what the offer was. (Peca probably would have gotten a 4-#1 level offer.)

 

There were no other offers. Peca used the only leverage he had - his ability to withhold his services. He DID force the Sabres' hand. They finally traded his rights that next off-season to the Isles.

 

While I agreed at the time that it was stupid for him to take the year off, financially it ended up the right decision for him. And I still believe the inability to sign w/ the Sabres in '00 cost him (and the rest of the team) a SC championship.

 

I actually thought that him holding out, provided he came in by mid-November would have worked to the team's advantage as well; as I thought it would leave a little in the tank when they made it to the Finals. (He'd had next to nothing left in '99.)

[Marvelo]

I was mad for a long time but I'm OK now... :beer:

[spndnchz]

So everyone chime in. When he gets introduced do you:

 

1) Sit still

2) Sit still but clap

3) Stand

4) Stand and clap

5) Stand, clap, whistle

6) Stand, clap, whistle, chant Haash-eck

 

?

[Weave]

So everyone chime in. When he gets introduced do you:

 

1) Sit still

2) Sit still but clap

3) Stand

4) Stand and clap

5) Stand, clap, whistle

6) Stand, clap, whistle, chant Haash-eck

 

I wouldn't start the booing but I would join in if others do it.

 

so... 1. If noone else boos I sit quietly.

[BuffaloSoldier2010]

So everyone chime in. When he gets introduced do you:

 

1) Sit still

2) Sit still but clap

3) Stand

4) Stand and clap

5) Stand, clap, whistle

6) Stand, clap, whistle, chant Haash-eck

 

?

6) all day everyday. That man was my hero when i was just a little guy, and much like many of you growing up and seeing the French connection play, i watched the dominator do exactly that every night. I was too young to really understand what was going on when he left, but i honestly cant be mad at him now, as i have since gone through the details in retrospect. I've read articles that say its a genuine toss up between him, Roy, and Brodeur for greatest ever goaltender, and my allegiances will always lie with him, good ol 39. His performance while he was here can be loosely equated to what Miller did in Vancouver last year, but for multiple seasons. IMO he is deserving of the honor without question, and should be supported by the fans just like he supported our team on the ice all those years.

[Taro T]

So everyone chime in. When he gets introduced do you:

 

1) Sit still

2) Sit still but clap

3) Stand

4) Stand and clap

5) Stand, clap, whistle

6) Stand, clap, whistle, chant Haash-eck

 

?

Either 2 or 4. I'll decide in the moment. Probably wearing one of the goatheads as well. Haven't gotten to wear one in a long time. (It's typically silly to be wearing black or red when the team is in b&g.)

[nobody]

4 - since I can't whistle.

[That Aud Smell]

@chz: #6.

 

i forgive hasek for being a d!ck and forcing his way out of town on terms that hurt the team. i forgive him for many reasons, chiefly the following: (1) his legitimately insane compulsion to compete and, moreover, to win is what led him to do what he did, (2) he is arguably the greatest goalie ever and inarguably one of the two greatest sabres ever, and (3) dude is basically an alien-cyborg and not of this earth.

[FogBat]

To be honest, the only time I even consider Hasek at all is when it is brought up in a thread here. I don't spend any time other than that thinking about that situation so I have moved on.

 

But that doesn't mean I'm OK seeing #39 honored as a Sabre. IMO to be worthy of honor you need be 4 things. 1. Among the very best to play for the blue and gold. 2. Been a member of the team for a good part of the best years of your career. 3. Contributed in some meaningful way to team success. 4. Been a loyal member of the team, a good teammate.

 

Most of the Sabres alum automatically fail at point #3 because team success has been fleeting at best. And Hasek fails miserably at #4, both for the way he left and the way he used phantom injury when he was most needed. He was an awesom goalie. He was also a lousy teammate.

We've noticed that you have an axe to grind with Hasek. However, it could be worse. They could invite Slava Kozlov back...

[Bmwolf21]

So everyone chime in. When he gets introduced do you:

 

1) Sit still

2) Sit still but clap

3) Stand

4) Stand and clap

5) Stand, clap, whistle

6) Stand, clap, whistle, chant Haash-eck

 

?

If I were able to attend the game I would probably go 4 or 6. I can be the bigger man and extend the olive branch. ;)

[Weave]

We've noticed that you have an axe to grind with Hasek. However, it could be worse. They could invite Slava Kozlov back...

 

Funny. I was thinking that there are only a few of Sabre's alum that *might* get booed if they were invited onto the ice, and two of them were involved in Hasek's leaving. Hasek and Kozlov. Off the top of my head I can't think of another player more likely to get booed in a return to the ice than those two.