NHL Number 39 - Dominik Hasek

"The Dominator", Dominik Hasek, one of the greatest NHL goaltenders ever, is also the greatest NHL athlete to ever wear the jersey number 39. Wearing the same hockey mask that I wore playing street hockey as a kid, Hasek would contort his body in ways previously unseen in order to block whatever puck tried to enter his domain, the net behind him.

Hasek began his NHL career with a brief two-season stint with the Chicago Blackhawks. It was with the Buffalo Sabres though, that he established himself as an elite NHL goalie. Hasek began playing with the Sabres in 1992-93 at the not-so-young-for-an-NHL-goalie age of 28. That season, Hasek played 28 games in net for Buffalo, garnering wins in eleven of them.

In 1993-93, Hasek would play the majority of the Sabres' regular season games in net, 58 in all. He would get 30 wins that season, leading the NHL in save percentage at .930, GAA at a miniscule 1.95 and shutouts with 7 blanks.

Hasek would stumble a bit in the wins column the next few seasons, as the Sabres struggled as a team, but he was his usual stellar self everywhere else. In fact, Hasek led the NHL in save percentage for the next five consecutive seasons.

A member of the Sabres through the 2000-01 season, Hasek would become a Detroit Red Wing for 2001-02. At age 37, Hasek would lead the NHL in wins with 41 (in 65 games) in his first season as a Red Wing. He would continue to play in the NHL through age 43 (spending one season with the Ottawa Senators in that time span).

Since his second season with the Sabres in 1992-93, through the 2007-08 NHL season, Hasek never had a save percentage below .900 and never had a GAA above 2.83. Kinda good, don't ya think?

Some of Hasek's NHL accomplishment highlights:

• 6-time Vezina Trophy Winner
• 2-time Hart Memorial Trophy Winner
• 3-time William Jennings Trophy Winner
• Number 1 All-Time in NHL Career Save Percentage (.922)

Did you know................Hasek also played inline hockey in Europe?

Number 39 in Other Sports

MLB Number 39
NFL Number 39

Dominik Hasek: The Dominator
1998 Dominik Hasek NHL Starting Lineup