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Buffalo Sabres Greatest Players
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Thursday
Alexander Mogilny
Alexander Mogilny, "Mogs" as he was known to many of his teammates, was known as a happy-go-lucky, carefree spirit. He has a world of talent but on some nights a thimble of execution. On any given night he could dance all over the rink, wow the crowd and make the opposition drool. He was just that good.
Yet on many other nights he was simply invisible - floating across the ice, not doing much of anything. On those nights you just hoped he did not wake up if you were a fan of the opposition.
Alexander Mogilny represented the best of two worlds, almost literally. He was born in Khabarovsk USSR, and was raised in the old Soviet hockey system. Based on his skating and puck handling skills, he could rank among the very elite in Russia's hockey history. Based on talent alone he is in the top 1 or 2 per cent of all hockey players ever.
Even though the walls of communism were literally on the verge of falling in 1989, Mogilny desperately wanted out of the Soviet Union. At that time Soviet hockey veterans such as Viacheslav Fetisov and Sergei Makarov were finally being freed to play outside of the Motherland. It was a reward for their years of service, they were publicly told.
Yet for a young star like Mogilny, who was named as the best forward at the 1988 World Junior Championships in 1988, it meant little. It still appeared he would have to go through several years with Red Army and the Soviet national teams. Little did he know that in just a couple of years he too would have been allowed to go anywhere he pleased.
But Mogilny, who was drafted in 1988 by the Buffalo Sabres, was impatient. He wanted to go to the United States as badly as he wanted to get away from Viktor Tikhonov.
Tikhonov was a mercilessly tough coach, particularly on his star players. It was his way of pushing his players to perform even better. Tikhonov was tough on Mogs, and his linemates Sergei Federov and Pavel Bure. The last straw for Mogs was in February 1989. He was struck in the face by the stick of Spartak defenseman Yuri Yaschin. Mogilny felt the blow was deliberate, and immediately dropped his gloves and stormed over to Yaschin, and belted him. Such an act of undiscipline landed him a 10 game suspension and his beloved title of "Merited Master of Sport For The Soviet Union" was stripped from him. He earned that while playing with the Red Army as a junior aged player at the 1988 winter Olympics.
Rather than expose himself to what he thought would be years of such degradation like so many before him, Mogilny decided to defect his beloved mother country. Mogilny vanished into the night during the 1989 World Junior championships in Stockholm, Sweden. Tikhonov, in the meantime, boarded the plane to go home, and was shocked to see an empty seat where his star of the future was supposed to be.
"Today I feel nothing but happiness," he said shortly after defecting. "Perhaps this season was a rough one for me. I wouldn't wish what I went through on my worst enemy. The conflict with the players cost me a lot. I'm not made of steel, you know"
Years later, Mogilny looked back on his decision.
"I've always had an independent streak, and that was not tolerated by the Soviet authorities. I came to the NHL when I couldn't see any future in the Russian League. So many things were happening politically. Hockey officials could control many aspects of my life beyond the ice rink, from what rank I could hold in the army to what kind of apartment I could live in. I thought I had to defect to maintain any hope of extending my hockey career."
Initially it was feared that Mogilny's defection would have adverse consequences for Soviet players trying to get to North America or western European club teams. Russian hockey officials cried foul and threaten to cancel any further allowances. However that proved to be empty threats as "Glastnost" could not be stopped.
When Mogilny arrived in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, he had a special present awaiting him.
"Buffalo Sabres owner Seymour H. Knox gave me sweater number 89 when I joined his team. I was the 89th pick in the draft, and I came to North America in 1989. Wearing 89 on my back is special to me; it's more than just a number."
For a 20 year old rookie, Mogilny had an okay season in year one. He scored 16 times and had 43 points. At times he showed brilliance that no other rookie and few other NHLers could display, but at other times he was obviously having a tough time adjusting to life in North America.
"It was a huge adjustment to come to the NHL. The language barrier was the toughest part. Lack of communication affected me both on and off the ice. It also took some time to get used tot he airline travel. I had to deal with a fear of flying."
Alex gradually became a steady 30+ goal threat, but it wasn't until the Sabres traded star center Pierre Turgeon to the New York Islanders in exchange for Pat Lafontaine in 1992 that Mogilny blossomed. Lafontaine and Mogilny worked like clockwork. The result - Mogilny exploded to share the NHL lead with 76 goals (with Teemu Selanne) in 77 games! He added 51 assists for 127 points. With Lafontaine Mogilny was almost scoring at will. Finally Mogilny was living up to this highest potential.
"Offensive hockey is my game, and Pat and I explored a lot of ways to put the puck in the net. It was so enjoyable to play with him. He's such a talent hockey player that he made my job easier," recalls Mogilny fondly.
He also credits his coach for his success that season.
"John Muckler didn't hold us back. He told us to play hard and do whatever worked for us."
Unfortunately for Mogilny, the Sabres, hockey fans everywhere and especially Lafontaine, the star center got hurt in 1993-94. He only participated in 16 games, and Mogs production fell big time. He put up respectable numbers with 32 goals and 79 points in 66 games, but clearly it was disappointing to have your goal production dip by 44 goals!
After the lockout shortened season of 1995, Mogilny was traded, largely due to financial reasons. The Sabres quite frankly couldn't afford the contract that both he and Lafontaine commanded. And since Mogilny's production fell off drastically when Lafontaine wasn't there, he was the first to go. He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a spunky young center named Mike Peca. Also going to Buffalo was gigantic defenseman Mike Wilson and a 1st round pick which turned out to be another big blueliner in Jay McKee.
Hockey experts immediately claimed the deal was a landslide for Vancouver. Wilson was a decent prospect, and the 1st round pick was 14th overall, and everyone knew Mike Peca was going to be a good player, although no one probably knew he'd be as good as he became. But it was a very small price to pay to get one of the most skilled players in the league. In addition, the Canucks already had Pavel Bure, Mogs old junior linemate. Reuniting those two would be a most certain unstoppable force!
Things never did work out that way for the Canucks though. In that first year Pavel tore ligaments in his knee and missed the entire season. Mogilny, playing with creative smurf Cliff Ronning, picked up the slack with a big 55 goal season. It was a huge season for Mogilny, as he silenced many of his most vocal critics.
"I'm paid to score goals and make plays. That's what I do best. I was saddened to see Pavel miss most of the 1995-96 season due to injury, but it was nice to show some of my critics that I could still rack up some points without Pat Lafontaine or Pavel. I proved them wrong. That was the best part of the season for me. We had a lot of injuries on the team, so it was a poor year for the club, but it was a good year, a rebound year for me."
Unfortunately that good year was never followed up in Vancouver. He dipped to 31 goals the following year. Pavel had returned and took up a lot of his ice time. By 1997-98 Pavel had returned to his usual form and had 50+ goals. Mogilny only had 18 in an injury shortened year. With Pavel sitting out the 1998-99 season in a contract dispute, Mogs only scored 14 times.
Clearly Mogilny had become a huge disappointment in Vancouver. In the meanwhile Jay McKee and especially Mike Peca developed into big parts of a strong Buffalo Sabres organization that went to the Cup finals in 1999. Five years after the traded that was supposed to be lopsided in Vancouver's favor had taken place, you would be hard pressed to find someone who would trade Peca for Mogilny straight up.
The Canucks finally gave up on Mogilny in 1999-2000. He was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson. There was no doubting that Mogilny was the most talented player on the team, perhaps more so than Pavel Bure ever was even, but he was too inconsistent. Many nights he was simply invisible. Not helping matters was an array of injuries and a good playmaking center which he publicly begged for.
Mogilny was acquired by the Devils to be the game breaking scorer in the playoffs that they have always lacked. Though he did not immediately provide offense, he did help the Devils win the 2000 Stanley Cup. Mogilny only scored 4 goals in 24 games.
Mogilny did find his game the following year, notching 43 goals and leading the Devils on another long playoff run, just falling short in successfully defending the Stanley Cup championship.
A free agent in the summer of 2001, Mogilny signed on with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mogilny would put in seasons of 24 and 33 goals, but the Leafs never did find post-season magic they so greatly craved.
The 2003-04 season was the beginning of the end for Mogilny. A chronic hip injury limited him to just 37 games and eventually would force him into retirement. The New Jersey Devils did give him another shot following the lockout, but when it was clear his injuries greatly hampered his ability, he was waived to the minor leagues, albeit in large part due to salary cap considerations with Patrik Elias return from long term illness. For Mogilny, it was a sad ending for a great hockey player.
Mogilny was an extremely popular player. He has a zest for life, perhaps because he grew up in the old Soviet Union. He appreciates freedom more than us who take it for granted. So it's hard to knock him for being a bit carefree.
Here's some highlight reel goals by Alexander Mogilny:
Friday
Rob Ray
Let's face it. Based on hockey skill alone, the only way Rob Ray belong in a NHL rink was to buy a ticket like the rest of us.
But what he lacked in skating, shooting and scoring skills, he made up for in intangibles.
He contributed through two intangibles in particular: He was a great teammate, and he was a fearless fighter.
He ended up playing in 900 games, accumulating over 3200 minutes in penalty minutes, including over 235 fights. He went toe-to-toe with every tough guy, likely multiple times, in 14 NHL seasons. He had memorable fights with Tie Domi, Paul Laus, Chris Nilan and former teammate Matthew Barnaby.
No, it was not an easy way to earn a NHL pay check. But it certainly beat working in the family farm equipment dealership back home in Sterling, Ontario.
Off Goes The Shirt
Some of those tilts were pretty wild, and often ended with Ray half naked on the ice. That was cleverly by design. He would deliberately wear his jersey and equipment in a fashion where he could easily discard the gear so that his opponent had nothing to grab on to. The NHL quickly installed the "Rob Ray Rule" - any player who does not have his jersey tied down and is involved in an altercation is banned for the rest of the game.
Ray is also well remembered for his role in subduing a drunken fan who hopped onto the ice and charged the Buffalo bench.
"There was a fight on the ice. Clint Malarchuk was sitting up on the glass behind the bench. All of a sudden we turned around and there's this guy sitting there. And Muck (former Sabres head coach John Muckler) says, 'Give me a stick, I'll get him down!' He was going to go hit him. Just at the last second, the guy dove onto the bench where the defensemen were. They threw him onto the ice and I came from the other end of the bench. And he came right at me. He had to be stoned or drunk or something. I had a hold of him ... I had like his head on the boards. I think I hit him like 17 or 18 times before the cops finally got in there. The cops were right there on the ice, falling all over the ice. By the time everything was done, there was hair, there was bullets, there was everything laying all over the ice because the cops kept slipping and falling and stuff coming out of their pockets."
He Did Not Start Out Being A Goon
But Ray was not always a pure goon. He made the OHL Cornwall Royals because of his physical play, but it was not until he turned pro that he embraced fighting.
"In junior I wasn't really a fighter. I was more or less a role player. In Rochester, they more or less said that's the way you've got to play if you're going to make it up there, so you started doing that. So you fought, but even when I got to the NHL, I wasn't real comfortable doing it. So one night I fought Dave Brown in Philadelphia. And I buckled him good. That was where I got the confidence I can fight the big guys. It was kind of a turning point in my career."
Ray's most common dance partner was Toronto's Tie Domi, who he figured he dropped the gloves with over 20 times. Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun once asked him to describe his relationship with Domi.
"He's helped me out with stuff and I've helped him out with stuff. We have an understanding, on the ice, you know, a respect level for each other. We're both past the point of showing off after a fight or anything like that. Once we get it done, it's over with."
He also asked about his worst injury in a fight, and about injuring others.
"I have a steel plate and screws in my (right) thumb. And I was once hit on the side of the head so hard that it drove my eyeball into my orbital bone. It's hard to say how badly you hurt someone. Knockouts? Sure, a bunch of them. There was Dennis Bonvie when he was in Chicago, and Jim Kyte ... that one was pretty bad. They had to carry him off the ice.
He Had Game, Too
You get the picture - Ray could fight. But he did score the odd goal, 40 in total in 900 NHL games. He remembers his first goal and first game like it was yesterday.
I got called up from Rochester to Pittsburgh and scored a goal and an assist in Pittsburgh against Barrasso. I was on a line with Scott Arniel and Kevin Maguire and Mike Ramsey was on the point. Ramsey assisted on it. For them, Paul Coffey was on, Mario Lemieux was on, the whole thing was on. I look back now, why was I even on the ice when those guys were on? I still have the game sheet. I had a goal and an assist and was +3 in my first NHL game. And I just sort of sat back and thought, "Where have I been?" "Why didn't I got here sooner? This is gonna be easy." And 27 games later I had a goal and two assists and got sent back down to Rochester.
Yet the man they call "Rayzor" was a teddy bear off the ice, avoiding the rough stuff.
"Actually, I've never been in a fight off the ice in my life. Came close one night in a bar back home. Kinda walked over to see what was going on and this guy hit me. I went flying backwards over a table, my shoes came flying off my feet ... I didn't even look for my shoes, I just bolted out the door. I said, screw this, I'm outta here."
But Rob Ray brought more to the table than just fisticuffs. He was a great teammate and leader, a player the whole dressing room loved to having him be a part of.
Big Heart In The Community
Ray was extremely popular in Buffalo because of his great work in the community. He was constantly visiting hospital rooms, delivering Christmas presents to the less fortunate, or appearing at charity fundraisers any number of organizations were putting on. He was especially fond of the Make-A-Wish foundation where he organized his own fundraisers through motorcycle rides.
Through all the charity work Ray has never asked for anything in return. He always felt fortunate to find himself where he did.
"I was raised to do things with integrity and honest. I've never been after individual glory or recognition for what I do on or off the ice."
Rob Ray definitely made an impact in Buffalo - both on and off the ice.
Monday
Dominik Hasek
"I just try to stop the puck"
The knock against European goalies used to be that they could not succeed in the NHL. Dominik Hasek played the biggest role in dispelling that myth.Only Vladislav Tretiak is regarded as a greater European goaltender. In fact Hasek, born in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, is the all time leader among European goalies in NHL games played and is regarded as not only the best European goalie, but one of the greatest goalies of any generation.
When he was on top of his game in Buffalo, Hasek may have been the most entertaining goalie ever to watch. His style is so indescribable and unorthodox yet so entertaining to watch. He has been known to do somersaults and back-strokes to stop the puck.
Hasek's greatness was hindered by politics. Until the fall of the Iron Curtain in the early 1990s, superstar players from Communist Europe had little hope of ever playing in the NHL. Therefore, Hasek, who grew up idolizing Czech goaltending legend Jiri Holecek, spent some of his best years as the top goalie outside of the NHL.
His pre-NHL resume is impressive:
* Czechoslovakian Goaltender of the Year: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990
* Czechoslovakian Player of the Year: 1987, 1989, 1990
* Czechoslovakian First-Team All-Star: 1988, 1989, 1990
* Czechoslovakian goalie in the 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup.
Perhaps his greatest pre-olympic moment was in 1983 when he led the Czech team to the silver medal in the World Championships, his first major tournament not including his junior career. Hasek was the best junior goalie in Europe in his day, winning the Top Goalie status in almost every tournament he participated in. In the 1983 World Championships, he was robbed of Top Goalie honours but was recognized by those in the media and hockey world as the best goalie in that tournament.
Hasek's North American career is much more well documented. He was drafted in 1983, 199th pick overall by Chicago but didn't come to North America until 1991 when he played with Chicago's farm team in Indianapolis. The following season he split between Chicago and Indianapolis, but because of Eddie Belfour's unquestioned status as the Hawk's goalie he would be moved to Buffalo in exchange for Stephane Beauregard and a draft pick, one of the most one sided trades ever.
The rest of the story, as they say, is history. Awe-inspiring history.
By 1993-94 he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie and was a First Team All Star. He became the first NHL backstop since Bernie Parent in 1973-74 to finish the season with a GAA below 2.00 (1.95).
In 1994-95 he duplicated his Vezina and All Star accomplishments as he led the league with an incredible .930 save percentage.
1996-97 was his greatest year while at the same time his most controversial. He posted a career high 37 wins and led Buffalo to first place in their division. Hasek was named to the First All Star team and won his third Vezina. More importantly he was name the Hart Trophy winner, becoming the first goaltender to be name the league's most valuable player since Jacques Plante in 1962. He also won the Lester Pearson trophy as voted by his peers as the best player in the league that season. However all was not rosy for the Dominator, as he became involved in off ice problems with reporters and his popular coach. In his greatest season he lost some of support from loyal fans.
CZECHS DOM-INATE 1998 OLYMPICS
In the post-Mario Lemieux era, the NHL had desperately waited for one of its collection of stars to rise to the level above everyone else. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano Japan, Dominik Hasek established himself as the best player in hockey.The tournament was considered to be a 4 horse race with Canada and the USA as co-favorites and Sweden and Russia as definite threats. Even a strong Finnish team was expected to finish ahead of the Czech Republic.
But no one counted out the Czech Republic for two reasons: Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek. Jagr, who many expected to establish himself as the best player in hockey this year, scored just one goal in the tournament but was his usual incredible self. But make no mistake - Dominik Hasek almost single-handedly won his country the gold medal, and he did it in legendary fashion.
After going 2-1 in the round robin, the Czechs were forced to take on the defending World Cup champions USA in the first game of the lose-and-you're-out medal round. With a great defensive system in front of him, Hasek stole a victory away from the heavily favored yet disgruntled US team.
However things certainly didn't get any easier for Hasek as the Czechs were then even bigger underdogs in the next game. Canada was the opponent, and the rules were simple - winner plays for gold, loser plays for bronze.
In what easily classifies as one of the greatest international hockey games of all time, Dominik Hasek emerged victorious, not only over Canada but over his arch rival of goaltending supremacy, Patrick Roy.
In the classic goaltending battle, the two teams entered the third period deadlocked at zero. Nearing the half-way mark of the third period Jiri Slegr's point shot managed to elude Patrick Roy, and the Czech's fell into their defensive shell, thinking one goal would be enough - thinking there's no way anyone could score on Hasek that night.
However, in typical Canadian dramatic style, Trevor Linden managed to roof a shot above Dominik Hasek's shoulder with just a minute left to play. It would have been a goal that would rival Paul Henderson's 1972 goal for Canada's greatest international moment if they had gone on to win. Except that goal only tied the game, and Hasek had no intention of letting in another.
The game went into overtime, and the Czechs basically played the trap, trying to force the dreaded Olympic shootout. Unlike in the NHL playoffs, international hockey would have games decided by a breakaway competition instead of endless overtime.
Hasek, considered perhaps to be the greatest breakaway goalie in history, stopped all 5 shooters. Patrick Roy stopped 4 of 5 shots. The unthinkable had happened - Hasek had done it again. Dominik Hasek was playing the role of giant killer in Nagano.
The gold medal game showcased a young Russian squad against the Czech Republic. The Russians had handed the Czechs their only loss, a 2-1 win during the round robin. Again, the Czechs were underdogs, and this time Hasek had to face the hottest shooter in the Olympics - 9 goal scorer Pavel Bure.
The Czechs checked and Hasek was perfect. He posted another shutout, as the Czechs won their first Olympic hockey gold medal, 1-0.
Hasek was simply unbeatable. His performance on the world's biggest stage, and established himself as hockey's new best player.
ALL HART
Following the Olympic break Hasek returned to NHL action and finished out another amazing season. He posted a record of 33-23-13 for the underdog Sabres. He recorded 13 shutouts, a .932 save percentage and 2.09 GAA. Hasek would add his second Hart and Pearson trophies in as many years, and also picked up his 4th Vezina trophy.
Unlike in the past, Hasek and the Sabres found some playoff success in 1998 as well. The Sabres played into the Eastern Conference finals before bowing to the overtime magic of the Washington Capitals.
The Sabres were a hard working, lunch pail team without a lot of skilled players or scoring superstars, but with perhaps the greatest goalie ever in nets, the Sabres were destined to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Their chance came in 1999.
The Sabres had a fantastic season, again led by Hasek's Vezina-worthy season. Hasek went 30-18-14 with 9 shutouts, a GAA of a minuscule 1.87 and a career best .937 save percentage. Hasek stepped up his play in the playoffs as the Sabres, blessed with some timely scoring, knocked off the Leafs, Hurricanes and Senators to earn the right to challenge the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup final.Despite Hasek's 1.77 playoff GAA and .939 save percentage, the Sabres would fall controversially short in their bid for their first Stanley Cup.
All season long the NHL had strictly enforced a rule that prevent players from entering the goalie's crease. The play was to be whistled dead if any player occupied any of the blue ice without the puck having previously entered the area.
The rule was a disaster. So many goals had to be reviewed, taking out a lot of the crowd's enthusiasm whenever a goal was scored. Many goals were reversed for the tiniest of infractions. The players didn't like it. The coaches didn't like it. Most importantly the fans didn't like it. Only the goalies liked it.
When Hull scored the Stanley Cup winning goal, his left skate (perhaps more accurately a toe or two) was in the forbidden blue paint. But lost in the overtime euphoria of the Stanley Cup winning goals was the proper video review of the goal. The NHL's season-long zero tolerance policy likely would have disallowed the goal. But with celebrations ensuing and the dejected Sabres retreating, the NHL did not have the guts to call down and disallow the goal.
The raging controversy overshadowed two great teams in the finals.
Hasek would play two more years in Buffalo, though a nagging groin injury meant the Sabres window of Stanley Cup opportunity had essentially closed. Hasek, who at times had a love-hate relationship with fans, did not endear himself to Sabres faithful when he demanded a trade and bolted town for Detroit, publicly declaring he wanted to go to a winning team. But his time in Buffalo was simply spectacular. With 6 Vezinas in 7 years, 2 Harts, 2 Pearsons, 1 Stanley Cup finals appearance and 46 shutouts, no goaltender had ever reached a higher zenith for such a long period of time.DOM LIFTS THE CUP
The Wings were definitely a winning team, but Hasek made them better. In his first season in Detroit he posted a career high 41 wins against just 15 losses, helping the Red Wings earn the regular season championship. Despite the long season due to another Olympics, Hasek's play never wavered and he carried the Wings past the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup. He posted a NHL record six shutouts that spring.
With his Stanley Cup ring on his finger, Dominik Hasek had accomplished it all. He announced his retirement and his intention to return to the Czech Republic where his legendary status was undoubted.The absence of hockey in his life created a deep void for Hasek, and he decided to return to the NHL again in 2003-04. By doing so, he placed the Detroit Red Wings in a difficult situation. Hasek still had a contract for $8M and a no trade clause. But they also had Curtis Joseph and Manny Legacy on the roster. The situation was resolved when Hasek was forced to sit out much of the season due to a severe groin injury. To his credit, he refused much of his salary that season due to his inability to play.
After season ending surgery and a summer of rehab, Hasek was determined not to end his career that way. He would sign on with the Ottawa Senators in 2004. Given his advanced age and recent injury history, Ottawa was taking a gamble. That gamble never paid off, as Hasek missed the remainder of the regular season after injuring his groin again after just 9 minutes of play at the Olympic games.
Detroit took a similar gamble on Hasek in 2006-07, bringing back Hasek. For two seasons he was able to stay injury free, but would lose his starting job to fellow veteran Chris Osgood. In 2008, Osgood led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. Hasek had to watch from the bench.
Hasek was a great teammate during what must have been a difficult time for him. He wanted to end his career by winning the Stanley Cup, but he did not expect it to be in this fashion. Regardless, he was a Stanley Cup champion yet again.
THE BEST EVER?
When all is said and done Hasek posted a 389-223-82 record overall with Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa, with 81 shutouts and a career goals against average of 2.20. He is tied for sixth in shutouts and 10th in wins. The numbers are made even more impressive by the fact Hasek didn't come to North America until seven years after he was drafted, not gaining a foothold as an NHL starter until age 28.
There is little doubt that his resume ranks him as one of the greatest goalies of all time. Comparing goalies from different eras is almost impossible, but Hasek had Patrick Roy as a great peer in an era where the art of goaltending evolved to a perfected science.
Let's compare Hasek to Patrick Roy:
| Patrick Roy | Dominik Hasek | |
| Seasons | 19 | 16 |
| Games | 1029 | 581 |
| W-L-T-OTL | 551-315-131-0 | 389-223-82-9 |
| SO | 66 | 81 |
| GAA | 2.54 | 2.2 |
| Playoff Games | 247 | 119 |
| Playoff W-L | 151-94 | 65-49 |
| Playoff GAA | 2.3 | 2.02 |
| Stanley Cups | 4 | 2 |
| Olympic Golds | 0 | 1 |
| Smythe Trophies | 3 | 0 |
| Hart Trophies | 0 | 2 |
| Vezina Trophies | 3 | 6 |
Who was better? That will likely be an eternal debate. Most people will side with Roy for his playoff success and consistency. Hasek had the Olympic gold and international resume, but his career started late and perhaps he hung on too long.
But even if I were to concede Roy was the better goalie over the course of a career, I firmly believe no goalie in hockey history had as high a peak performance than "The Dominator." And he did it for years during Patrick Roy's reign. Read more...
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