July 31, 2006

Hasek to return to Wings: Dominik Hasek is returning for a third tour of duty with the Detroit Red Wings. The team announced Monday it has signed the 41-year-old to a one-year deal, believed to be worth about $500,000 plus incentives.

posted by hb74147 to hockey at 12:05 PM - 17 comments

(Is he still significant enough to warrant a thread?) Count me as surprised -- I no fan, so I'm not complaining -- Hasek/Osgood doesn't seem up to standard for a team that competes at thier level.

posted by hb74147 at 12:09 PM on July 31, 2006

Remember people both Hasek/Osgood won cups here and both are great goalies and Dom is still one of the best in the game if he stays healthy Detroit look forward to a long cup run and then the CUP because its coming home baby....GOOD JOB DETROIT!!!

posted by sirtt22 at 12:17 PM on July 31, 2006

(Yeah, he is a Hall of Fame goalie, and his drama-queenery in the last decade has been a pleasant diversion. So sure, FPP-worthy, there's enough Wings fans here, why not.) (Though I want this remembered the next time an iffy LeafFilter post comes down the pike. Hey look, Wade Belak re-upped today!) What else are the Wings going to do? Is there another A-list goalie out there? Now that Luongo's off the market, Chris Osgood may have to do. On the upside, regardless of how training camp pans out, the Wings will have a backup who won them a Cup. Hasek may be older than dirt and just playing out the string, but he might have one decent year left in him. I'm not hoping he does, I'm just saying it's possible.

posted by chicobangs at 12:21 PM on July 31, 2006

I'm surprised too! At least this time they got a much better price for him and if he still has some of that hall of fame play left in him then I'd say they got a helluva good deal.

posted by commander cody at 12:27 PM on July 31, 2006

I don't think this one is going to play out as planned. Hasek just seems to be one of these players that refuses to play at anything less than 100%, and the debacle with him in Ottawa last year should serve as a warning. With the options remaining, perhaps a 41-year Hasek has the best potential upside - but I think Wings fans will be lucky to see him in more than 35 games if his last three seasons are accurate predicters. Not a move that brings them much closer to the Cup, IMHO. They still need another goalie. What's it take to get a Marc Denis or Martin Biron these days?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:30 PM on July 31, 2006

Ahhhh, the Dominator. Please oh please have one year left in the tank! For $500K + incentives, why not take the chance. It's not like there was anyone else available that the Wings would be able to get, (at least there better not have).

posted by RedStrike at 12:44 PM on July 31, 2006

Still a better starter option than Osgood! I don't understand why they don't give one of their young Goalies, i.e. Howard, the chance to be "the guy" The younger guys have got it done around the league lately. It is not comforting as a Wings fan, to know we are one pulled groin away from CO being “the guy”

posted by directpressure at 02:43 PM on July 31, 2006

I don't understand why you would be against this pick up. Last year in his 43 games for Ottawa he had a 2.09 GAA, and a 9.25 save percentage. If healthy, he is still one of the best, no dourbt about it. Great pick up at that price for Detroit.

posted by tupacalypse at 02:48 PM on July 31, 2006

and then the CUP because its coming home baby History lesson for Detroit homers: the Cup's home is in Montreal.

posted by qbert72 at 03:45 PM on July 31, 2006

How on earth do winning teams keep signing this guy? Yes, his numbers are well above average -- perhaps fantastic -- but he cannot be counted on when the going gets rough. Just ask an Ottawa fan. Or a Buffalo fan. Or... But I suppose Detroit has little to lose with a contract like that...

posted by diastematic at 04:32 PM on July 31, 2006

I'm a little upset. I really didn't want the Wings to pick up another goalie, let alone Hasek. I was kinda hoping to just settle on Ozzie being the starter going in to training camp, and having Howard and Liv compete for the backup/starter job. With Hasek coming back to Detroit, that will only raise my stress level higher than it already is
(1. I work in the auto industry. 2. I have a fourteen year old daughter.). When Hasek is healthy, he wants to start every single game. Which is a good thing, if your healthy. It's a bad thing when you're getting up there in age and you're injury-prone and get hurt at the worse possible moment (note the Senators last year).

posted by wingnut4life at 06:32 PM on July 31, 2006

I heard a snippet of an interview with Hasek this afternoon. He said he was shocked he got a phone call, as he was planning on retirement. Hmmm ... I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Smells like -- Detroit.

posted by wfrazerjr at 08:07 PM on July 31, 2006

This may not be as bad as it looks at first glance. Ozzie's a pretty solid back up, and Hasek looked great last year, until he got hurt. If he can stay healthy (and that's admittedly a big if), he's still got the skills to get the job done, and it sounds like he's realized that he doesn't have to play every game. Maybe that will make him more durable. If he does get hurt, they can pull Howard out of GR. In the meantime, Howard gets a bit more seasoning with the Griffins first.

posted by ctal1999 at 02:32 AM on August 01, 2006

I'm impressed Holland negotiated the incentives to kick in after the Wings win a round in the playoffs.

posted by garfield at 10:43 AM on August 01, 2006

Hmmm ... I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Smells like -- Detroit. Those are big words considering they're coming from a Blues fan

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:32 PM on August 01, 2006

Ouch...

posted by wingnut4life at 12:38 PM on August 01, 2006

YYM, when you got nothin', you got nothin' to lose.

posted by chicobangs at 01:28 PM on August 01, 2006

You're not logged in. Please log in or register.