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 'Time to step back' It's official: Hasek says next season will be his last
Posted: Thursday July 29, 1999 11:33 PM
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- He's earned millions of dollars, won Olympic gold and piled up five trophies as the NHL's top goalie. But for the Dominator, there's no place like home. Appearing relaxed and even relieved, Dominik Hasek said Thursday he would retire from the Buffalo Sabres at the end of next season so he could raise his children here in his homeland. The 34-year-old goaltender said his kids, 9-year-old Michal and 4-year-old Dominika, find it increasingly difficult to adapt to Czech life when they go home in the offseason. "'I decided to retire because of my friends and my family," Hasek said, adding he and his wife Alena want their children to get a Czech education. "When Michal turns 18, it will be his decision whether he becomes an American or a Czech boy. But now, we want both kids to live with us in the Czech Republic." Hasek also is tired of the limelight -- too many requests for autographs, too many people stopping him on the street, not enough peace of mind. "In America, they say, 'Out of sight, out of mind,'' Hasek said. "I hope this will work for me at home. "'The attention I've received is overwhelming. It's something I don't enjoy at all. It's time to step back." Hasek's decision came a day after Barry Sanders stunned the Detroit Lions and the rest of the football world by announcing his retirement. Other high profile retirements this year include Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and John Elway. Sabres assistant general manager Larry Carriere flew to Prague for the news conference and praised Hasek's contributions to not only the team but to Buffalo.
The Sabres do have a highly touted prospect, Martin Biron, in the minor leagues. Hasek said he first started thinking about retirement nine months ago and met with Sabres' management about it. He and his wife made the final decision to quit just before the playoffs, he said. Despite struggling much of last season with a groin injury. Hasek helped the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup finals, losing to Dallas in six games. Hasek, known for flopping to the ice to block shots and even releasing his stick and grabbing for the puck with two hands, was paid $7 million last season. Only Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche, who made $7.5 million, had a higher salary among goalies. Hasek is walking away from millions of dollars. He has two years remaining on his contract, $7 million for the upcoming season and $7.5 million for 2000-01, and the club holds an option at $9 million for the following season. "I have enough money to live a nice life, not only for me but for kids and wife," Hasek said. "If somebody offered me $25 million to play one more year, I wouldn't." He is the third Czech ice hockey superstar to tout the life he leads in the Czech Republic. Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr this week said he prefers Czech food and women to American, and Phoenix's Robert Reichel is threatening to stay at home and play in Prague if the Coyotes don't meet his financial needs. Still, Hasek wants to stay connected with the Sabres in some fashion after retirement and said he will remain active with Buffalo's Variety Club, an organization that takes care of children from poor families and pays for their hockey training. The Czech has won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie five of the last six seasons, and he became the first goalie since Jacques Plante in 1962 to win the league MVP award with back-to-back honors in 1997 and 1998. His career highlight, however, came in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where he led the Czechs to the gold medal with a performance that made him a national hero. Buffalo acquired Hasek in 1992 in a trade from Chicago, where he was a backup to Ed Belfour, the goalie who bested him in the finals last spring. He came to the NHL in January 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain, seven years after he had been drafted. It took him three years to make his big breakthrough, and his years as a backup left him contemplating a return to Europe. He won his first Vezina in 1994 with Buffalo -- at the age of 29, rather late even for a goalie. He won it four more times, including this year. Besides the Stanley Cup, the other big prize missing from his career is a world championship trophy. Hasek is one of the few top Czech athletes with a university degree -- he studied teaching, specializing in history and the Czech language. His future, he said, will include working with children to educate them as well as teach them hockey. He also plans to promote his Dominator hockey equipment. But there will be no comeback after next year, he pledged. "Once I take off my equipment for the last time, that's going to be forever," Hasek said.
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