Will Hasek Return?

[SinBinHockey 2]

Alright, sorry if this has already been posted but I don't post here that often. I was wondering what the chances are of Hasek returning for another season. I have both Osgood and Hasek on my keeper fantasy team and they have been a killer combo for me. I like the duo both in real life as well as fantasy hockey. I was just wondering what the odds were of keeping this combo around for one more season would be? It seems like both goaltenders are up for it and both are playing extremely well. I know Hasek is old but will one more year make his performance decrease all that much?

Just wondering what your opinions are on the subject.

[SinBinHockey 2]

Got a forum error so this wasn't my fault but it's a double post.

[Reds4Life 51]

I think Dom will retire.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

dom will retire when we win a cup

[OsGOD 3]

Oh please if there is a god no!!!!

There i made my plea

[puckloo39 5,686]

Oh please if there is a god no!!!!

There i made my plea

be nice, OsGod! That's my man you're talking about.

If Dom comes back, it will be entirely Ozzie's fault. Dom is crazy about Ozzie, it's been such a fun season for them working together, why wouldn't Dom want to come back?

It must be very hard for truly great players to walk away, if they believe they can still play.

We will see what Dom does at the end of the season. His standard response when asked is: "I will tell you when the season is over, not before." All kidding aside, if the Wings win the Cup, I doubt Dom will return. He will have more than silenced anyone who ever doubted him as a legend, even without another Cup.

[OsGOD 3]

be nice, OsGod! That's my man you're talking about.

If Dom comes back, it will be entirely Ozzie's fault. Dom is crazy about Ozzie, it's been such a fun season for them working together, why wouldn't Dom want to come back?

It must be very hard for truly great players to walk away, if they believe they can still play.

We will see what Dom does at the end of the season. His standard response when asked is: "I will tell you when the season is over, not before." All kidding aside, if the Wings win the Cup, I doubt Dom will return. He will have more than silenced anyone who ever doubted him as a legend, even without another Cup.

Oh i know... i was just seeing how long i could have that up... to ruffle your feathers.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Oh i know... i was just seeing how long i could have that up... to ruffle your feathers.

Yeah, I know. I still say it will be all Ozzie's fault if Dom comes back. Ozzie's made it too much fun for Dom to pass up another go-round in Detroit.

Dom will tell us when he decides, whatever it is he's decided, yes?

[Grittzkey 1]

When will this guy become extinct.

[Packer487 3]

The blow up on this board would make Hiroshima look like a car fire. It'd be hilarious.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I hope not.

(hang on before you jump on me as a Hasek basher).

He will be 44 next season. It's great he's been at it this long, but goaltending is a position reliant on reflexes and flexibility, both of which get worse with age. No matter how religious he is about working out and taking care of himself, the best he can hope for is not to lose ground. It sounds like he's pretty much prepared about as much as anyone can.

After his poor start, Dom has been good this season. But he's still not the goaltender he once was. He hasn't been the Dominator for a while now. After you were once among the extremely elite, why come back to be above average, at best? If he played again next year, it would definitely feel like he is hanging on too long.

More importantly, it would also be bad for the Wings. They need to sh*t or get off the pot with Jimmy Howard. Dom coming back next year complicates that. He would have no future with the team and only be delaying the inevitable. Ozzy is already signed. What would become of Howard? He needs time up with the big club to see if he can become the Wings #1 guy. Or they need to go out and find someone else with that potential to play with Ozzy.

It's better for the team if Howard comes up next year, even if he struggles, then have Dom get off to a slow start to eventually become as good as Ozzy. That doesn't gain the team a whole lot.

[Copenhagen848 58]

Cup or not, it's time for him to retire. I don't have the confidence with him when he's between the pipes like I did in the past. He's had a couple good games, but hasn't faced that many shots either thanks to the D.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Cup or not, it's time for him to retire. I don't have the confidence with him when he's between the pipes like I did in the past. He's had a couple good games, but hasn't faced that many shots either thanks to the D.

...and in quite a few games, Ozzie's faced very few, thanks to that same D. In games where the Wings slept the first 40, Dom has kept them in it (and won the game) despite the low shot counts most nights. So has Ozzie. They've both had games with only 2 or 3 shots in a period, and both seen games where the D was off and the goalie had to save 12-15 SOG in one stanza.

Dom's been great as the season progresses. I know some folks are still fixated on Ozzie's hot start this season when Dom was laid up, but fair is fair. It's not as uneven in terms of actual goal potential as the numbers alone might indicate... fewer shots don't necessarily translate into fewer quality chances and saves.

It's going to be up to Dom, though, I suspect. The Wings will do whatever he decided, barring an obvious issue with injury or health concern of some sort. I have every confidence that Dom will do what's best for the team, in the end.

That said, I wouldn't mind if he did retire next season, if that's what he wants.

[norrisnick 1]

I don't care so long as it isn't with the Wings.

[dallas27 7]

If he does he has to make sure he is fully committed to retiring, I don't think the Wings need to be caught up in a un-retirement circle. I agree with Harold. If Howard is the future of the team him playing in the GRap next year will do him no good.

I think Hasek wants to go out on top (an obvious understatement) so hopefully this year it happens and he can retire with another Cup.

[The Noodle 39 14]

I hope he does not retire but that is because I'm biased and love the guy! I'm the type of person who does not accept change very well.. and I'm not really to excited about Howard. For me having Dom always eases my mind on our goaltending situation come playoff time. Unlike many goalies that have played here Dom is mentally not human. Thus he does not get rattled and the media never gets him down. If you score on him he blames himself and knows he should have made the save. Where as a lot of goalies out there are scored on figure "well it was a good scoring chance and i had no chance at it." You can always count on him when it matters and i will admit he's getting older and has lost a little but because he was so friggin good in his prime and he blew away all other competition he's just now at his older age coming back down to earth but is still one of the top goalies! Think about it... Ozzie had to wait till Dom was 43 to even come close to being somewhat competitive with him. But in the playoffs IMO roll with Dom!

Hasek may have lost a step or two but still has that aura about him and when he's on you can forget it! It's hard for him to get into a groove here in Detroit at times as well because he sees so few shots. Dom used to be a shutout goalie every nite stoning teams and making 40-50 saves a nite and stealing the show. Now he has to hope to make 10-15 saves a nite and somehow stay on top of his game.. it's gotta be tough. But that is why i prefer him in the playoffs because teams tend to get more chances on us and get more shots on us.

[Uncle Danny 155]

Boy, this is a tough one. The guy stands on his head more nights than not for us, even at his age. I mean, even anecdotally, he is the only reason we were in a position to come back against the Wild the other night, playing fierce even when the rest of the team looked entirely flat. He was a large part of a cup win in 2002, and, a few rough patches aside, hasn't really lost much in terms of productivity since. Were it not for Ozzie having a career year, any talk of him retiring would leave me entirely cold.

That said, the talk about Howard is spot on. We need to get this kid in the lineup soon if he's ever going to mature the way everyone thinks/hopes he can...and we're going to need him in top NHL form in a few short years once one or both of our current tandem decides to hang up the pads.

I think one thing is relatively certain, though. He will retire a Red Wing. I just hope that doesn't come at the expense of Howard's career, or (gasp) Kenny deciding to trade away Ozzie again to give Jimmy a shot next season. I mean, let's face it: Ozzie is 34 years old, playing like an elite goalie and tied into a relatively cheap contract for what he's bringing to the table these days. That HAS to make him appetizing to more than a handful of teams needing goaltending help right now.

[gcom007 1,465]

If he does he has to make sure he is fully committed to retiring, I don't think the Wings need to be caught up in a un-retirement circle. I agree with Harold. If Howard is the future of the team him playing in the GRap next year will do him no good.

I think Hasek wants to go out on top (an obvious understatement) so hopefully this year it happens and he can retire with another Cup.

It wouldn't matter if he did. It's not like you're sending the best goalie to a rival potentially. He doesn't have that kind of clout. They'd let him go without breaking a sweat. I don't think the Wings will make an effort to encourage or resign him. We've got a guy who can do the same thing signed cheap and a young guy we've gotta keep going. They need to spend their money in other areas that are lacking.