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December 1st, 2008
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Hašek looks to return

Following another retirement, 'comeback kid' weighs options

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 20th, 2008 issue

The Hašek file



Born: Jan. 29, 1965, in Pardubice
Drafted: 1983, 10th round by Chicago
NHL wins: 389 (10th all time)
Highest NHL career save pct.: .922
Hart Trophy (NHL MVP): Only goalie to win twice
Voted: Czech hockey player of the 20th century

Czech hockey legend Dominik Hašek may soon be able to confirm the old “third time’s a charm” axiom.
The forty-three year old goalie retired in June after helping the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings capture the Stanley Cup. “My body is still ready, but I lack motivation,” Hašek told reporters in Detroit at the time.
Once back in Prague, however, he succumbed to second thoughts.
Make that third thoughts: In the summer of 1999 he summoned TV crews to a Prague news conference where the great Czech goalie announced he was preparing for his last NHL campaign. Hašek said his decision was final and that he called the conference in order to avoid speculation throughout the season. But he missed a number of games due to a groin injury, so he continued to play.
The next summer, he left Buffalo for the Detroit Red Wings and dedicated himself to winning the Stanley Cup. After bringing home the trophy in 2002, Hašek called another end to his career. Yet once again, he decided on a comeback.
Now he’s considering a third.
“It won’t be in the upcoming season for sure,” Hašek says, “but I cannot rule out that I could start playing again later.”
He insists, though, that another season on the NHL circuit is out of the question. “I don’t want to talk about it at the moment,” he explains. “It’s clear, however, that I wouldn’t go to the NHL. If I were to return, I would play with a Czech team.”
Following his most recent retirement, Hašek returned to Prague in order to focus on the management of Dominator, the sportswear company he launched in 1998. But after just two weeks on the job, he closed down the firm’s European opperation under mounting financial debt — hinting, though, that he might reopen operations in the future.
The man known as The Dominator sees nothing wrong with this kind of career back and forth. “When reaching such a triumph [the Stanley Cup], one’s motivation naturally lowers,” he points out. “At the time, I simply had a feeling that I would hardly be able to keep a 100 percent focus — and so I decided to quit.”
“I’ll see what’s going to happen in one or two years,” he adds. “I always base my decisions on my feelings.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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Reader's comments:

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[06:52 09/09/2008] : I think it's great that Hasek is thinking of playing some more hockey. He posted really good stats last year and proved that he is still one of the best in the sport. I have really enjoyed watching him play in the NHL and only regret that I will not be able to see him play in the Czech League. Maybe I shall visit the Czech Republic and take in a game!
Gina Jarman
Comox BC Canada
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