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 The Dominator's best move Hasek's announcement shifts pressure to Sabres' brass
Posted: Thursday July 29, 1999 11:43 PM
By Jim Kelley, CNNSI.com To a man, the ownership and management of the Buffalo Sabres are convinced that all-world goaltender Dominik Hasek is sincere in stating the 1999-2000 National Hockey League season will be his last. Left unsaid, but patently understood, is that the two-time Hart Trophy winner (league MVP) and five-time Vezina Trophy winner (best goalie) has shifted the burden of winning from his slender shoulders to their corporate lap. Simply put, the Buffalo Sabres' best chance of winning the Stanley Cup anytime soon has been reduced to one season. Hasek's last. "You never know what with injuries and one thing or the other," said Sabres Chairman of the Board John Rigas at a press conference designed largely to put a positive spin on Hasek's stated goal of leaving the Sabres organization after next season. "But I think if we can get our players all signed up in an orderly fashion and go in with the same attitude and with knowing that Dominik is committed as he is, it should be an exciting year and hopefully we'll do something that has eluded us." Rigas, who revealed that he talked Hasek out of retiring after last season and convinced him to play one more, stopped short of stating the obvious: that the Sabres must win the Cup next season. How Sabres ownership and management go about that will be their legacy. The Rigas', including John's son, Tim, the Sabres chief executive officer, and Sabres general manager Darcy Regier spent the late afternoon after Hasek's announcement dancing around with that. In a post-Hasek press conference in Buffalo's Marine Midland Arena, they implied commitment, but stopped short of announcing a plan. They professed dedication, but didn't make any stirring pronouncements such as "budget be damned" or "Free Agents are Us." It was understandable to a point. The Sabres came pretty close to the Cup last season with players already on the roster. Giving the impression that the cash spout must now be free flowing is not good business when 10 of them, including 40-goal scorer Miroslav Satan, are still to be signed. Maybe Pat Reilly can still come out and lay down a claim for a championship, but the Sabres are not known for the stuff winners are made of. In their 29 years in the NHL they've only been to the finals twice. They lost both times. Still, one had the sense that any feeling of urgency that Hasek's impending retirement brings to the table was largely deflected by the powers that be. They talked a lot about the joy of having Hasek around for one more season and the enjoyment that stems from having had him in a Sabres uniform for the past seven seasons. Nice, warm and fuzzy, but not exactly inspiring stuff. That's troublesome. Both management and ownership stated Thursday that they had been aware of Hasek's intentions as far back as last November. If that's so, you have to wonder why they've already cut Joe Juneau, an unrestricted free agent, out of their future and have pretty much stated they're going to be largely inactive in the free-agent market. Regier and Tim Rigas did make the point that if the right player becomes available and he would make an impact on the Sabres lineup, they would consider making a deal. They also said that budgets can be overridden and that they would have done it last season had they determined that last season's free-agent prizes -- Doug Gilmour and Ron Francis -- represented good value or the possibility of long-term success. Maybe, maybe not. They're hockey people, at least Regier is, and having made the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago and the Stanley Cup finals last season they are entitled to a hefty portion of the benefit of the doubt. Besides, Regier's point about the team having grown and seemingly able to grow further from within is decidedly well taken. But the Dallas Stars invested $17 million in Brett Hull for what amounted to one shot, the Cup-winning goal. One can't help but think that had the Sabres loosened up on their stance with last season's notable holdout, Donald Audette (now a Los Angeles King), or went the extra mile for a solid two-way player like Francis, it might have been enough. A shot here, a faceoff won there was often the difference in every game with the Stars last spring. That it didn't happen was palatable to Sabres fans in part because the team was young and -- with Hasek in the nets -- secure in the knowledge that it had several years left to get better. Hasek had two years left on his contract and the club had an option for a third. There were good young players on the ice and in the system and they not only were playing well, but they showed the promise of playing better. That's still true, but Hasek's announcement has shortened the timetable. In opting to announce that next season will be his last, Hasek, as he has done so often during a tenure in which he's delivered ultimatums in the most unusual ways, delivered unto the Buffalo Sabres another one: Win now. Strip away the trappings of family concerns, the longing for the good life in the Czech Republic and the desire to succeed in business opportunities that are tied largely to his reputation as The Dominator, and that's really all that's left. It's not pretty and it's probably not even fair, but in one rather cleverly thought-out decision, Hasek shifted the burden of winning from his play on the ice and into the lap of the people who are responsible for getting the supporting cast. It may well be his best move yet and how Regier and the Rigas respond will go a long way toward determining if winning is truly what the franchise is about.
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