Dominik Hasek Retires

To no one's great surprise, Dominik Hasek called it a career yesterday. This time I think we can all rest assured there will be no comeback.

Playing an unorthodox flopping style that looked out of place in the era of the butterfly goaltender but due to his amazing flexibility, concentration and vision Dominik Hasek may have been the greatest goalie ever.

It is pretty tough to compare players from various eras, but more feasible to compare goalies of the same time frame. Hasek and Patrick Roy are the top of their class, with Ed Belfour and the still active Martin Brodeur right there too.

Most people will side with Roy because he had more playoff success and was more consistent. But for 6 or 7 years in Buffalo I think Dominik Hasek reached a career zenith that no one else ever attained, certainly not for that time frame. Six Vezinas, two Harts, two Pearsons, and one Olympic gold medal. He would add two Stanley Cup championships later in his career.

Well done, Dominator. You certainly will never be forgotten.

Joe Pelletier's Biography of Dominik Hasek
ESPN.com Photo Gallery
Career Statistics

Detroit Free Press - Wings Should Retire 39
MLive.com - Hasek Remembered For Acrobatics
Sports Illustrated - Hasek Was A True Original
ESPN - How Hasek Compares To Other Greats

Retirement Watch - Niko Kapanen

TSN is reporting that Phoenix Coyotes forward Niko Kapanen is leaving the National Hockey League in favor of AK Bars Kazan of the Russian League.

Last season, Kapanen played 79 games with the Phoenix Coyotes, scoring 10 goals and adding 18 assists for 28 points.

Last month, he helped Finland win a bronze medal at the World Hockey Championship.

Over his seven-year NHL career, Kapanen scored 36 goals and 90 assists for 126 points in 397 games with Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix.

I believe NHL players still require 400 games played to qualify for a pension, so the timing is a little curious. Then again, with a salary of $800,000 and $900,000 in the last two years, respectively, and likely a tax free salary over $1 million in Russia, even marginal NHL talent should not need a pension any longer.