He was a brilliant, one-of-a-kind performer in the NHL, but as big as he loomed here, back home in the Czech Republic, Dominik Hasek’s legend remains larger than life. Hasek, goalie with Detroit’s last two Stanley Cup championship teams, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday and to some of the young Czech players who currently populate the Red Wings lineup, he is their hero. But it wasn’t Hasek’s Cup-winning performance with Detroit, his two Hart Trophies or his six Vezina Trophies that made him an idol to these guys. It was when he backstopped their country to Olympic gold in the 1998 Nagano Winter Games that Hasek became the biggest deal in the Czech Republic. “I was six years old but I remember these games, how Dom was unbelievable,… Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek said. “Everyone wanted to be a goalie after that but I started a little before that. “I was a big fan of Dom. Everyone in Czech was a big fan of him. He was a hero for us because he won the Nagano 1998 Olympics and two Stanley Cups. He was a hero for everyone. “Everyone tried to be Dominik or Jaromir Jagr in these days.… Detroit defenseman Jakub Kindl was a few years older than Mrazek when he viewed the games as Hasek led his homeland to Olympic glory, but he was equally enthralled. “I remember just watching all the Olympics as a kid, skipping class,… Kindl said. “They let us watch so it was basically like skipping a class. “He was huge. That was huge for us to win the Olympics.… Then Kindl became a Red Wing and was brought face to face with his country’s idol. “When he came here and I had a chance to meet him, it was a dream come true,… Kindl said. “I was here as a Black Ace the year they won the Cup (in 2008), even the next year when they went to the finals. I had a chance to get to know him. I sat next to him on the plane. “We keep in touch. He calls me once in a while. I see him in Prague, too. He just called me last week needing some tickets. He wouldn’t let me say nothing, the just kept talking. I asked him a few questions and he just kept going on and on. “He’s doing great. “I wish I could have been there for (Hasek’s Hall of Fame ceremony). When his jersey gets retired in Buffalo (on Jan. 13), before the game we’re playing, that’ll be nice to see him.… Mrazek has never met Hasek, but seeks to emulate him by following in Hasek’s footsteps and becoming a success as an NHL netminder. “I was watching him always,… Mrazek said. “When he won the Stanley Cup in 2002, I got the CDs, so I was watching that. “Everyone wanted to be like Dom. I’m trying to be the best I can and do what he did.… Mrazek admired Hasek’s dogged determination as much as he respected his incredible talent. “He’s got a different style but what I liked about him was that everyone was talking about how he wanted to win every game,… Mrazek said. “He was battling hard on the ice, in the practice and in the game. He wanted to stop every puck. I like that (competitiveness). He went 100 percent in the game. He was mad when he let in some goals.… Datsyuk Ailing The groin issue that has plagued Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk flared up again following Sunday’s game against Montreal and he is a questionable starter for Tuesday’s game at Columbus. Datsyuk will make the trip with the team, but will be a game-time decision. “He’s getting checked out,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “I don’t know what the word is.…
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer