That he will get the starting nod as the Detroit Red Wings face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the night that the Sabres will retire the No. 39 of legendary Czech goalie and former Wing Dominik Hasek, is of special significance to Petr Mrazek.
“That was my growing-up hero,… Mrazek said of Hasek. “So I’m pretty excited for that. He won the Olympics for us in 1998. He was a great goaltender and I loved what he did. He won two Stanley Cups and he was always battling.
“I think it’s a special thing for everyone in here who played with him.…
Hasek’s unique style of puck stopping – part butterfly, part Baryshnikov, part Gumby – made him one of a kind. His gold medal win with the Czech Republic at the Nagano Games in 1998, the first to involve NHL players, turned Hasek into a hero in his homeland.
“He was special,… Mrazek said. “He played differently. That was his style. It didn’t matter. What matters is he stopped the puck.…
As a young goalie, Mrazek sought to emulate Hasek when he was between the pipes.
“We were always, when we were younger playing on the street or playing outside hockey for fun, we did that,… Mrazek said. “Always everyone tried to be him.…
For those in the Detroit room who got to be teammates with Hasek, they consider it to have been an honor.
“Getting to know him as a person and how hard he worked, I’ve never seen anybody like in that practice,… said defenseman Niklas Kronwall of Hasek’s unique work habits. “He wanted to stop the puck more than anything else. And even when he felt like he didn’t have a good game, he’d have the younger guys come in and shoot on him on off days.
“There were a lot of things very special about him and I’m very happy he was chosen or picked into the Hall of Fame and I think it’s a privilege for us to be here when they retire his jersey.… For Detroit coach Mike Babcock, he appreciated the passion and competitiveness that Hasek brought to the rink every day.
“You’ve got to be ultra-competitive to get yourself to the next level and he was that,… Babcock said. “He was just that good. He wanted to be that good and he was that good.
“He was just one of those guys. He didn’t let much in, so he got pissed off when he did.…
Hasek’s dogged determination to be the best rubbed off on his teammates, especially the younger Wings.
“He got really mad if you scored a goal on him,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg remembered. “Every practice he was battling really, really hard.
“For me as a young player coming in and seeing the battle he put on at practice that kind of helped me to go even harder. And just the character he still is. He was a lot of fun to have him on your team. There was always something happening.
“Those years with Dom were not just special to me but special for everyone that played with him. When we heard that it was our game he was going to do that ceremony it made all of us very happy, especially the guys who played with him.…
There’s an additional bonus for Mrazek as he readies for Tuesday’s game.
He’ll finally get to talk to his idol.
“I never met Dom,… Mrazek said. “So I think it’s going to be the first time tomorrow that I see him.…
Howard Update Things still remain a little murky in terms of the seriousness of the groin injury suffered in Saturday’s loss to Washington by Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.
“I can give you an update, but we don’t know,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “How is that? We’re just going to go week to week and pretty soon it’ll be day to day.…
As they await more test results, the Wings are speculating Howard could be sidelined anywhere from 2-4 weeks, though one thing is certain.
“He won’t play in the All-Star Game for sure,… Babcock said of Howard, Detroit’s lone selection to the Jan. 25 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus. “I just know with groins it takes forever.
“They say it’s 10 days and three weeks later you’re talking about him.…
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer