Dominik Hasek

The Blackhawks approached Hasek again in 1987 with a contract offer; with a mandatory year to serve in the Czechoslovakian military, however, Hasek again turned down the offer and instead played for the Army's hockey team, Dukla Jihlava, in the 1989-90 season. He also finished his university education with a degree in history. Ironically, just as Hasek was fulfilling his military obligation, the Communist regime that had ruled since 1948 finally fell. With the demise of the Berlin Wall and pro-democracy demonstrations arising all around eastern and central Europe in late 1989, Czechoslovakia finally withdrew from the Soviet Bloc. The changes also meant that Hasek and other athletes were able to pursue careers in North America without fear of reprisals against their families.

In 1990 Hasek finally joined the Blackhawks. With standout goalie Ed Belfour—who would win NHL Rookie of the Year and Vezina Trophy honors that season—already on the roster, Hasek played just five games for the Blackhawks that season. Instead, he was sent to the Indianapolis Ice for most of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. The experience helped Hasek adapt his goaltending style to the smaller rinks of North America and also helped Hasek's family—wife Alena, son Michael, and later on, daughter Dominika—adjust to life in the United States.

After the Blackhawks traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in August 1992, Hasek hoped to get more time on the ice. An injury soon sent him out of commission and when the team signed goaltender Grant Fuhr, it seemed that Hasek's career faced insurmountable setbacks. When Fuhr was injured in November 1993, however, Hasek became the Sabres' main goaltender. He did not disappoint the team: finishing the season with thirty victories and twenty losses, Hasek led the league with a save average of .930. His goals-against average of 1.95 for the season was the lowest in the NHL since 1974. Although the Sabres did not make the finals, Hasek's contribution was recognized with the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender at the end of the season. He repeated the honor in 1995, from 1997-99, and again in 2001.