Dominik Hašek vs. the NHL: Why a Legendary Goaltender Avoided the Global Series Spotlight
PRAGUE — The NHL opened the regular season last week in Prague with two Global Series games between the Buffalo Sabers and the New Jersey Devils. Czech hockey legends were prominently featured. Jaromir Jagr dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game on Friday. Patrik Eliáš, the Devils’ all-time leading scorer, was with the team all week and dropped the puck for the second game of the series.
But one Czech hockey great was conspicuously absent. Dominik Hašek, the Hall of Fame goaltender who helped the Czechs to an Olympic gold medal in 1998 and one of the greatest players in Sabers franchise history, did not attend the games or participate in promotional materials in the run-up to the games. . Last Thursday, Hašek released a statement on his X account condemning the NHL for allowing Russian players to play in the league while Vladimir Putin continues Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Friday afternoon, hours before Jagr dropped the ceremonial first puck, Hašek met The Athletics to discuss his ongoing issue with the NHL.
Dear citizens, dear hockey fans,
The new NHL season starts tomorrow in Prague.
What I, as a person for whom human lives rank first on the imaginary scale of values, cannot remain indifferent. Unfortunately I have to announce that this will be the third time…
— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik) October 3, 2024
“My motivation is enormous,” Hašek said. “I consider everything I do in this area to be of vital importance. What is happening in Russia now, that is, the Russian imperialist war in Ukraine and other crimes related to it, is very similar to what Hitler did in the 1930s. And we all know how that turned out. This must not happen again. And that is why I try to publicly explain to people around the world what is important and how to act so that the Russian war of aggression does not spread and ends as quickly as possible. And of course the main motivation is to save human lives. For me, human life always comes first.”
Russia escalated the war between the two nations in February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That month, the NHL released a statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and announcing that relations with partners in Russia had been suspended. Hašek has made his feelings clear since the day Russia invaded. He wrote an email to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and said he only received a brief response. In the years since, Hašek said the league has made no effort to engage in dialogue with him. The NHL declined to comment for this story.
During that time, Hašek has called on the NHL to pay billions of dollars to Ukraine in compensation and has been outspoken about Russian athletes. are allowed to participate at the Olympic Games. Russians participating in the NHL serves as an advertisement for what the country is doing and improves morale in Russia, he says.
Hašek also ran for senator in the Czech Republic this year. In September, Hašek failed to advance beyond the first round of voting. He is taking his time to determine his next step, but he wants to remain involved in politics.
It was not until 1989, when Hašek was 24, that the Czech Republic separated from the Soviet Union. Hašek is well acquainted with life under authoritarian rule. He doesn’t want his children to know what that’s like. Hašek has a soon-to-be three-year-old son, Honza, with his current partner, and two adult children, Michael and Dominika, with his ex-wife. Hašek returned to the Czech Republic after retiring from the Detroit Red Wings to raise his children in his home country.
Hašek also played the final year of his career in the KHL in 2010-2011. Putin has been Prime Minister or President of Russia since 1999, making him the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin.
But while Hašek studied history in college, he only became interested in politics after his playing career ended. He has since become more outspoken on certain issues, including this one.
Many in the Czech Republic share Hašek’s fears and views, and for hockey fans it extends beyond the NHL. In 2023, Rytíři Kladno, Jaromir Jagr’s Czech Extraliga team, signed goalkeeper Julius Hudacek, who was born in Slovakia but had played the previous season for a team from Kazakhstan in the KHL. Fans threatened to protest matches and Kladno released Hudacek days later.
This is the second time the NHL has come to Prague since Russia invaded Ukraine. The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators played here in 2022, and each team had a Russian player on the roster. Although neither the Devils nor the Sabers brought a Russian to the Global Series, Hašek still didn’t want to be a part of it. He believes the NHL should speak publicly about this issue and not “bury its head in the sand.”
The NHL’s first statement following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 said: “We also remain concerned about the well-being of players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand that they and their families are placed in an extremely difficult position.”
The fact that the NHL has not changed its position since that statement is disappointing for Hašek.
Russia’s war in Ukraine will likely become a more prominent NHL storyline as Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky’s goal scoring record. Ovechkin still has a photo with Putin as his profile picture on Instagram and has not made any strong statements against the war. He has not spoken about the war since 2022.
“I’m Russian, right?” Ovechkin said in 2022. “Something I have no control over. It’s out of my hands. I hope (the war) will end soon. I hope there will be peace in both countries. I have no control over this.”
Hašek said he believes only Russians who condemn the war should be allowed to play in the NHL. However, he understands the difficult position the Russian players find themselves in. Hašek lives in a free country and is not an employee of the NHL, which he says gives him the freedom to express his opinions. It is more difficult for those who fear for their safety or that of their families, Hašek added. Or even those who could face job loss or other economic consequences based on their words.
Hašek does not blame individual Russian players for not speaking out.
“Rules need to be put in place so that Russian players have an incentive to speak out publicly,” Hašek said. “Some players could be the best peace ambassadors. Unfortunately, the NHL does not help the Russian hockey players one bit.”
Russian star Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers has been outspoken against Putin in the past. Hašek also quoted Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a Russian who spoke out against the war while a member of the Calgary Flames in 2023. He posted “No War” on his Instagram account with the caption “Stop it!!!” He also did a two-hour interview with Russian journalist Yury Dud on YouTube in which he explained his opposition to the war. Hašek felt that the NHL did not provide him with enough support.
“It must be said that this is a topic that people are very afraid to talk about publicly,” Hašek said. “In the Czech Republic there is great fear of Russia, which has been labeled a terrorist state by our parliament. We have experience in this direction with Russia and unfortunately also victims. People don’t know how the situation will develop and if Ukraine falls, we will be one of the other possible victims.”
Hašek said he would like to hear more former players speak out on the topic because they are no longer dependent on the NHL for their work. He knows these are not easy situations. He admitted last year what he now considers his own mistake.
Last season, Hašek came to Buffalo as part of an annual visit to do charity work with his foundation, Hašek’s Heroes. While in town, he went to a Sabers game and participated at the beginning of the game by beating the drum to excite the crowd. He still loves Buffalo and considers it one of the best hockey towns in the United States. But he realized that even participating in this way went against what he had been talking about. Days later he apologized to X.
Statement regarding my participation in the event on 01-18-2024 and to the public and media inquiries: During my annual visit (business, charity) to Buffalo USA, I accepted an invitation from my friends to the @NHL game (1/18/2024). At the same time (continued)
— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik) January 23, 2024
“I consider my participation in the competition and its opening as my big mistake,” Hašek wrote. “I would like to apologize to all Ukrainian soldiers and all Ukrainian people who heroically defend not only their homeland, but also the whole of Europe against the imperialist enemy. And furthermore to the fans who supported and continue to support me and to everyone I disappointed with my performance. I find it very difficult to excuse this personal failure of mine. I’ll try even harder to fix it. At this point I can promise you that a similar situation will not occur again. And that I will fight to the utmost and help defend everything that attacks the Russian state-controlled terrorist regime. And criticize all those who support it with their actions.”
Last week, Hašek met with Sabers coach Lindy Ruff and a few others he knows from his time in Buffalo. He also met with the Sabers website video team to help them with a project they are doing about his upbringing.
“I have no interest in cutting ties,” Hašek said. “I am interested in helping the NHL as much as possible with my behavior, and nothing will change that. Otherwise, I obviously won’t be participating in either of the two games or anything related to the start of this year’s NHL. The reason is clear. I don’t want to be part of an event that promotes the Russian war.”
(Photo: Petr David Josek / AP Photo)
