The Dominik Hasek # retirement ceremony

[nucci]

I don't go to a lot of games (obviously not the Sabres, but the Caps neither). I couldn't define a hockey atmosphere other than the game being played. I think much would be tied to memories from our youth, but those are memories of what we think it should like. Our kids don't have the same memories or preferences.

 

I hear the same complaints here in MD/DC. I just don't know what they should do differently. Everyone complains about stadium/arena music. Not sure what anyone really wants to hear...

Tenor Joe Byron and Organist Norm Wullen

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I just watched the ceremony.

 

I must say that I liked it.

 

I like when these things are low-key ... more humbling, IMO. Hasek owes a lot the the organization and the city. He was very humble in his speech.

 

EDIT: The above does not change my feelings on him.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Sabres Fan In NS

[zow2]

I watched on TV and sort of assumed the simplicity of this ceremony was Dom's wishes. I mean who comes out to an empty podium by choice? No family, no MC, nothing to keep things organized. Strange but OK, i guess that's the way he wanted it. The only awkward part on TV was the banner raising, in relative silence. It was so slow going up, no one really knew what to do? Whatever...move on.

[TrueBlueGED]

I think the ceremony perfectly exemplified Dom's Sabres career: put him on the ice and hope he can carry everyone involved to victory.

[darksabre]

I think the ceremony perfectly exemplified Dom's Sabres career: put him on the ice and hope he can carry everyone involved to victory.

 

:lol:

[LTS]

Warning.. I pulled these from the redwings game thread. But I wanted to address them here.

 

Speaking of Detroit I wonder how long they wait to retire Lidstrom's number

You missed it. It's nice and short with no team leadership, no former players, no coaches, or anyone saying anything about the player. Here you can see for yourself how boring it was. :)

 

 

I knew it was a matter of time before somebody bitched about the ceremony. If they had given a ceremony comparable to Selanne's BFLO would be bitching that it was too long.

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

I'm glad they kept it short and sweet.

 

See above. Also

 

 

Bottom line. Great players deserve a great ceremony. If Hasek didn't want the ceremony then acknowledge that.

 

The Sabres are bombing on the little things as well as the big things at this point.

 

I'm not reposting my letter here. It's done.

 

I'm done with them for awhile.

[Stoner]

I think the ceremony perfectly exemplified Dom's Sabres career: put him on the ice and hope he can carry everyone involved to victory.

 

Once in a while, you do good.

 

I watched on TV and sort of assumed the simplicity of this ceremony was Dom's wishes. I mean who comes out to an empty podium by choice? No family, no MC, nothing to keep things organized. Strange but OK, i guess that's the way he wanted it. The only awkward part on TV was the banner raising, in relative silence. It was so slow going up, no one really knew what to do? Whatever...move on.

 

With the "heat" the Sabres are taking, I think they would want to leak that bit of information out there somewhere, that the ceremony went down as Dom wished it.

Edited January 14, 2015 by PASabreFan

[Eleven]

Warning.. I pulled these from the redwings game thread. But I wanted to address them here.

 

 

You missed it. It's nice and short with no team leadership, no former players, no coaches, or anyone saying anything about the player. Here you can see for yourself how boring it was. :)

 

 

 

 

See above. Also

 

 

Bottom line. Great players deserve a great ceremony. If Hasek didn't want the ceremony then acknowledge that.

 

The Sabres are bombing on the little things as well as the big things at this point.

 

I'm not reposting my letter here. It's done.

 

I'm done with them for awhile.

 

I'll say this much: If they had put me through an hour or hour-plus ceremony, I would have been livid. There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

[SwampD]

I'll say this much: If they had put me through an hour or hour-plus ceremony, I would have been livid. There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

What if Dom had brought us four Stanley Cups?

[Eleven]

What if Dom had brought us four Stanley Cups?

 

Nah.

[K-9]

Was Dom's ceremony for him or the fans?

[Taro T]

Was Dom's ceremony for him or the fans?

Pretty sure it was supposed to be for both.

 

2 things struck me about the ceremony: Dom highlighting how special he considered the Knox family and his complete snub of the criminal's family,

 

and how he kept coming back to the fans in his speech - it almost seemed like he was looking for atonement. (Haven't watched it on tv yet; maybe there wasn't as much about the fans as it seemed at the time.)

[biodork]

I have mixed feelings; as others have pointed out, it's entirely possible that Dom wanted a simple ceremony. I found it a little odd he was on the ice by himself as well, but again, surely he could have asked his family to come out with him if he'd wanted? It also seemed the crowd wasn't nearly as loud as I would've expected, but that might have just been a difference in how the broadcast audio mix was set.

[Stoner]

I have mixed feelings; as others have pointed out, it's entirely possible that Dom wanted a simple ceremony. I found it a little odd he was on the ice by himself as well, but again, surely he could have asked his family to come out with him if he'd wanted? It also seemed the crowd wasn't nearly as loud as I would've expected, but that might have just been a difference in how the broadcast audio mix was set.

 

It had to be the shortest ovation during an NHL jersey retirement ceremony ever. Usually, there's that period of sheepish, "OK, please, that's enough. Stop applauding. Sit down, no really. Oh, OK. Thank you, thank you..."

[Taro T]

 

 

It had to be the shortest ovation during an NHL jersey retirement ceremony ever. Usually, there's that period of sheepish, "OK, please, that's enough. Stop applauding. Sit down, no really. Oh, OK. Thank you, thank you..."

He got applause all throughout the ceremony. Not sure what more you were expecting.

[K-9]

Pretty sure it was supposed to be for both.

 

2 things struck me about the ceremony: Dom highlighting how special he considered the Knox family and his complete snub of the criminal's family,

 

and how he kept coming back to the fans in his speech - it almost seemed like he was looking for atonement. (Haven't watched it on tv yet; maybe there wasn't as much about the fans as it seemed at the time.)

 

I never thought Dom had anything to atone for. He gave everything he had to the team and fans every time he stepped on the ice. The same can't be said for the team giving him everything. I fully understood why he wanted to go get a cup and I was really happy for him when he won it. Not sure why every fan wouldn't feel the same.

 

And that million dollars he gave upon his departure should have trumped everything anyway. I was embarrassed that fans had the gall to boo him when he returned as a Redwing. Classless reaction by a jaded fan base.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Eleven]

I never thought Dom had anything to atone for. He gave everything he had to the team and fans every time he stepped on the ice. The same can't be said for the team giving him everything. I fully understood why he wanted to go get a cup and I was really happy for him when he won it. Not sure why every fan wouldn't feel the same.

 

And that million dollars he gave upon his departure should have trumped everything anyway. I was embarrassed that fans had the gall to boo him when he returned as a Redwing. Classless reaction by a jaded fan base.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

There were times when he didn't step out onto the ice, though.

 

And while I can forgive him for wanting to be traded once it was painfully obvious that the team around him would not improve, I do not like the way he handcuffed the Sabres with respect to the return in the trade.

 

I think it's fair to be somewhat mixed with respect to him.

 

Certainly, he's the best of all time.

[Trettioåtta]

Hasek's Heros are selling a limited copy of this picture (signed):

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10247214_10152926634952954_873497080505716106_n.jpg?oh=99af90aa68514237289578f5a83b8ef1&oe=5532CBA9

 

sabres.com/hasek

 

Should anyone be interested (sorry if someone else linked this)

[Eleven]

Hasek's Heros are selling a limited copy of this picture (signed):

https://scontent-b-l...ef1&oe=5532CBA9

 

sabres.com/hasek

 

Should anyone be interested (sorry if someone else linked this)

 

hmmm......

[Taro T]

 

 

I never thought Dom had anything to atone for. He gave everything he had to the team and fans every time he stepped on the ice. The same can't be said for the team giving him everything. I fully understood why he wanted to go get a cup and I was really happy for him when he won it. Not sure why every fan wouldn't feel the same.

 

And that million dollars he gave upon his departure should have trumped everything anyway. I was embarrassed that fans had the gall to boo him when he returned as a Redwing. Classless reaction by a jaded fan base.

 

GO BILLS!!!

I would tend to agree that he had nothing to atone for. (And I've covered my reasons for that belief a long time ago and don't have the time or energy to fully repost them as they aren't the focus of this post. :)) That, though, doesn't alter the vibe I was getting from the speech. A lot of the speech was saying how wonderful it was to play in front of the Sabre faithful. While that is always a part of these sort of speeches, it seemed IMHO to be more of the focus than a typical acceptance speech.

[darksabre]

Hasek's Heros are selling a limited copy of this picture (signed):

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10247214_10152926634952954_873497080505716106_n.jpg?oh=99af90aa68514237289578f5a83b8ef1&oe=5532CBA9

 

sabres.com/hasek

 

Should anyone be interested (sorry if someone else linked this)

 

If I wasn't super broke I'd be all over that.

[Taro T]

Hasek's Heros are selling a limited copy of this picture (signed):

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10247214_10152926634952954_873497080505716106_n.jpg?oh=99af90aa68514237289578f5a83b8ef1&oe=5532CBA9

 

sabres.com/hasek

 

Should anyone be interested (sorry if someone else linked this)

They were also selling signed ballcaps last night as well. ( Supposedly pucks as well, but those were long gone before I checked out the merchandise. )

[Stoner]

So, to sum up, what I think a lot of this angst boils down to is that we want to see the first-class franchise that this storied and glorious hockey town deserves. It may be on its way, but talk about baby steps. Just do something right. One thing. Show us what number retirements look like in Toronto, Detroit, Montreal and even Anaheim, not what they've always looked like in Buffalo. And for those who think this is the way Dom wanted it, it must also have been the way Patty and Danny wanted it, too. Everybody deserves a lot better than what we've been getting. When will this franchise rise up and truly live up to its creed?

[darksabre]

So, to sum up, what I think a lot of this angst boils down to is that we want to see the first-class franchise that this storied and glorious hockey town deserves. It may be on its way, but talk about baby steps. Just do something right. One thing. Show us what number retirements look like in Toronto, Detroit, Montreal and even Anaheim, not what they've always looked like in Buffalo. And for those who think this is the way Dom wanted it, it must also have been the way Patty and Danny wanted it, too. Everybody deserves a lot better than what we've been getting. When will this franchise rise up and truly live up to its creed?

 

I mean, it's not like they don't owe us for the Slug. And the Turdburger. And Ville Leino.

[Stoner]

I mean, it's not like they don't owe us for the Slug. And the Turdburger. And Ville Leino.

 

Can you work that into one named entity? I'd like to see something on my desk in the morning.