DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) — Detroit Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek, a Czech star who played 16 National Hockey League seasons, announced his retirement Monday after helping backstop his second Stanley Cup title team.
The 43-year-old netminder powered the Czech Republic to 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic gold in the first Games showdown to feature NHL talent and helped Detroit claim a fourth NHL title in 11 years, beating Pittsburgh last week in the final.
"Sixteen years is a long time that unfortunately has gone by too fast," Hasek said. "Many wonderful things have happened to me during my career."
Hasek won the Vezina Trophy symbolic of NHL goaltending supremacy six times and is the only goalie to win consecutive NHL Most Valuable Player honors, with a 92.2 percent save ratio that ranks as the all-time greatest in NHL history.
"The Dominator", whose first Stanley Cup title came in 2002, won 389 games to rank 10th on the all-time list during a career that saw him play for Chicago, Buffalo, Ottawa and Detroit.
Hasek was replaced in the Red Wings' starting role by Chris Osgood during the playoffs after appearing in 41 of 82 games with a record of 27-10 and three regulation draws and a 2.14 goals-against average.
"We all won as a team, and I want to thank them all for helping me get my name on the Cup a second time," Hasek said.
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