Best NHL goalie from each franchise: Buffalo Sabres – Dominik Hasek
For those of you that love the Buffalo Sabres, the nickname “The Dominator” should bring a smile to your face. Goalie Dominik Hasek will go down as one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time but gets special recognition for his nine seasons spent on the Sabres in the 90s to bring them back into the spotlight.
I know many will likely correlate Hasek with the Detroit Red Wings since he won two Stanley Cup championships there but make no mistake about it, he turned things around big time for the Sabres. Hasek’s presence protecting the net helped turn the Sabres into instant contenders.
Hasek’s dominance sent the Sabres to eight postseason trips as he won numerous NHL awards from the Vezina Trophy, William M. Jennings Trophy, and even the Hart Memorial Trophy. It’s a shame the Sabres didn’t go the whole way but his ability to shut out opposing high-octane offenses is what enabled him to eventually get traded to the Red Wings in the first place.
At this point in time, Hasek still owns the NHL record for the highest career save percentage ever at 0.9223. His jersey No. 39 was eventually retired by the Sabres as Hasek had a phenomenal career once he officially retired in 2012.