Hasek Dominated NHL During the Late 1990s

Published on May 24th, 2024 8:35 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It's a rarity in the NHL when a goaltender wins the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player.

It's even rarer when a goaltender wins the award TWICE in a row.

Over the course of the 1996-97 and 1997-98 NHL seasons, Dominik Hasek won the Hart trophy twice in a row, and his numbers were truly phenomenal.

Hasek's best years in the NHL came when he hit his 30s.

In fact, Hasek remained in the NHL until he was 43 years, and could have easily kept playing if he had wanted to. After all, he went 27-10-3 in his final season in the NHL, with a GAA of 2.14. Unbelievable.

Hasek's 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons were particularly remarkable.

In 1996-97, Hasek finished with a record of 37-20-10 for the Buffalo Sabres, while posting a superlative save percentage of .930.

The Sabres finished atop the Northeast Division, and Hasek was given the Hart Trophy.

Hasek's 1997-98 numbers, however, were even better.

In that season, Hasek posted a record of 33-23-13, with a save percentage of .932 and a GAA of 2.09.

The craziest stat from that season?

Hasek posted THIRTEEN shutouts.

Hasek held the Sabres together, as the team finished in third place in the Northeast Division.

For that, Hasek was given his second straight Hart Trophy. With thirteen shutouts, it was pretty hard to deny him.

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Hasek would post the highest GAA of his career - .937 - in 1998-99, and would finish third in Hart Trophy voting.

After moving to the Detroit Red Wings in 2001-02, Hasek would post the biggest win total of his career, as he would notch 41 wins for the Red Wings.