DETROIT -- Dominik Hasek's collection of hockey hardware
includes six Vezina trophies, a pair of Hart trophies and an
Olympic gold medal. Now the Detroit Red Wings' new goalie wants
one more trophy -- the Stanley Cup.
|  | | Dominik Hasek tries on a Red Wings sweater and answers questions in Detroit on Monday. |
Hasek was acquired over the weekend in a trade with the Buffalo
Sabres for veteran left wing Vyacheslav Kozlov, a draft pick next
year and other future considerations.
"I am here to win the Cup," Hasek said as he was formally
introduced at a press conference in Detroit on Monday morning.
"Nothing else. Nothing less."
At a second press conference in Buffalo later in the day, Hasek
said his biggest fear was Detroit giving up too much in exchange.
He went so far as to call Sabres general manager Darcy Regier about
an hour before the trade, threatening to reject a deal in the event
Buffalo held out for more players.
"It was sort of business. It was nothing about community or
money. It was strictly who you're going to have on the ice," Hasek
said. "And of course, I wanted the best players in front of me on
the ice (in Detroit)."
The Red Wings agreed to pay Hasek $8 million the coming season,
matching the salaries of captain Steve Yzerman and star defenseman
Nicklas Lidstrom, with two more option years at the same salary.
"He's taking less money to come to Detroit," Red Wings general
manager Ken Holland said.
"It was a deal that we just could not pass up," Holland said.
"Dominik is coming off another Vezina Trophy-winning season and
we're all thrilled that he will be suiting up in a Red Wing uniform
this fall."
Holland has called Hasek "the best goaltender in the National
Hockey League."
The Sabres had until the end of Saturday to pick up Hasek's
one-year, $9 million contract option, trade him or lose him to
unrestricted free agency.
Hasek, 36, said he provided the Sabres with the names of three
teams for whom he would like to play. He would not name the teams
on Monday, but said one of them offered him more money than the Red
Wings.
"It was very important for me to play in a town where the
people love hockey," Hasek said. "The other teams are good teams,
but not as special as Detroit."
"It's not often you can get a goaltender that matches his
record," Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman said of Hasek.
The Red Wings didn't stop there, agreeing to terms with forward
Luc Robitaille on a two-year deal. Robitaille was excited to come
to Detroit, especially after he was disappointed in the offer Los
Angeles made in an attempt to keep him with the Kings.
"That's why I'm happiest. First they get the Dominator and then
they get me," he said.
In Buffalo, Hasek thanked Sabres fans for their support over the
past nine years, but felt that the Red Wings are closer to winning
a Cup.
"I feel that Detroit team is more talented than the Sabres
team," he said. "We never made it all the way, but we weren't a
bad team. We made it to a final one time and a semifinal. We
weren't a bad team.
"Many memories, but it's over."
Despite struggling in the first part of last season, Hasek
bounced back to have a stellar campaign. He went 18-8 down the
stretch with five shutouts and finished with a 37-26-4 record,
matching a career high for victories.
Hasek, who talked about retiring after the 1999-2000 season,
said he was focusing only on the upcoming season.
"I don't know how many years that I am going to play," he
said. "Maybe more than one. Maybe more than two."
Kozlov, 29, just completed his eighth season with Detroit. He
had 20 goals and 38 points in 72 games and led the Wings with four
goals in the Red Wings' first-round playoff loss to Los Angeles.
"It's always tough when you have to lose a teammate like
that," Lidstrom said. "But you have to give up something to get a
player like Hasek."
Hasek finished fourth with a 2.11 goals-against average and led
the league with 11 shutouts. He was rewarded with his sixth Vezina
Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, one short of the record held by
Jacques Plante.
In nine seasons with the Sabres, Hasek, who led Buffalo to the
1999 Stanley Cup finals, also won the Hart Trophy in 1997 and 1998
as NHL MVP.
The arrival of Hasek means Chris Osgood, who has been the Red
Wings' starting goaltender for the past four seasons, appears to be
on the way out.
Osgood is second in team history in wins (221) and shutouts (30)
and is to make about $4 million next season.
Manny Legace, who played well when Osgood slumped at the
beginning of the season, seems slated to be Hasek's backup.
"Obviously, we're not going to carry three goaltenders,"
Holland said. "Chris Osgood played real well for us and is a good
NHL goalie. But Dominik is the best there is."
Osgood's agent, Rollie Thompson, said his client was surprised
by the trade and plans to battle for his job. "Chris will be in
camp," Thompson said. "He has every intention of being the No. 1
goalie."
Detroit right wing Darren McCarty said he expects Osgood to
compete with Hasek. "Ozzie is a fighter, and he's not going to
give up that No. 1 without a battle," he said.
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