(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The great goaltender Dominik Hasek, now 44, is coming out of retirement, but he won't be returning to the NHL. He's going to play for a Czech league.
Hasek had the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in mind when he said on Tuesday he was coming out of retirement, according to Reuters.
He'll be playing in the top Czech league, according to AP. He originally played for this team and won two championships with them in 1987 and 1989.
Hasek won the Vezina Trophy six times as the NHL's best net-minder and was named the league's most valuable player twice. He also won two Lester B. Pearson Awards as the top player, picked by players themselves.
He will play for HC Moeller Pardubice in the town where he was born and started his career, according to The Fan and the L.A. Times.
Hasek is unretiring for a second time. He retired in 2002 after winning his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings but rejoined the NHL in the 2003-04 season.
A year ago, he said goodbye to the NHL, but not to hockey, hinting he might play again in his homeland.
Hasek retired from the Detroit Red Wings last June after winning another Stanley Cup.
Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1983, Hasek played for the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and the Blackhawks.
Hasek led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
"The Dominator," as he was known in the NHL, started a total of 714 games, won 389, and posted 81 shutouts.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Detroit Red Wings articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
0 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete