That reminds me Boo, I came across this article when I was in Prague. Thought you might find it interesting
Ice storm
After year off, Hasek weathers a scandal to return to hockey
By Frantisek Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
(September 25, 2003)
Having reached the ultimate goal of his spectacular 12-year career in the National Hockey League (NHL) -- a Stanley Cup -- goaltender Dominik Hasek returned to his native Czech Republic in the spring of 2002 with a simple message: It's time to come home.
At 37, having added an NHL championship ring to a home hardware department that includes six Vezina Trophies as the league's best goalie, two Hart Trophies as its most-valuable player and an Olympic gold medal, Hasek announced his retirement. But "The Dominator" found himself unable to sit out and focus only on his clothing firm. In July Hasek revealed that he was returning to the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.
Hasek had spent a year away from the ice but not from the headlines. On May 18 he was accused of assaulting an opposing player whom he had cross-checked in an in-line skating hockey game, triggering a police investigation and once again putting the star goalie under the media glare.
A few weeks after he announced his return to hockey, state prosecutors announced that they would not press criminal charges in the case. In an exclusive interview with The Prague Post, The Dominator discussed the fight and its aftermath, and his decision to go back to the NHL.
The Prague Post: The Czech police spent the summer investigating your brawl with an opposing player in an in-line hockey game. Were you afraid they wouldn't let you leave the country?
Dominik Hasek: Yes, a little bit, despite the fact that my lawyer insisted that the whole case was absurd from the very beginning.
TPP: Did the in-line hockey incident initiate your decision to return to the NHL?
DH: No, that decision had nothing to do with that case.
TPP: The media described the brawl as a brutal attack by you. Did you feel that you turned from virtually a national hero into an outlaw?
DH: This case was quite unpleasant, and not only for me. It affected also my family, friends and even my business partners. It took a while before the case cleared out, and it was a very stressful experience.
TPP: How do you see your behavior in that game now?
DH: Well, although some 90 percent of what was written about the incident was a total lie, and it was later shown that there was nothing true in it, I need to admit that I made a mistake.
TPP: Did you take any lesson from that incident?
DH: I was always convinced that when a man gets into similar uneasy situations and still manages to overcome them, he gets even stronger and more robust.
TPP: When did you actually begin considering your return to the NHL?
DH: It was around the beginning of May. But it was quite important to hear from Detroit whether they wanted me or not.
TPP: What was their first reaction?
DH: They said they wanted me back.
TPP: How did your family respond?
DH: My wife was surprised at this idea, but she in the end fully supported my decision. My [two] kids did not seem to be bothered too much. My son only said, "You need to know best of all what to do."
TPP: You declared twice in the past that you would end your career, and you still keep playing. Do you regret your previous decisions?
DH: No, not at all. It's actually the other way around. When announcing my retirement, I had no motivation to continue. The one-year gap without hockey gave me an opportunity to learn the other side of the life, which I could not see when playing hockey.
TPP: How is your situation different from when you quit?
DH: I'm one year older and more experienced.
TPP: Michael Jordan once said that he felt empty after quitting pro basketball, and that made him return. Is it the same with you?
DH: No, not at all. I carried on in exercising and sports, be it squash, mountain-bike racing or playing in-line hockey. But [in contrast to ice hockey] those were not my priorities.
TPP: Did you watch the Stanley Cup playoffs this past season? Were you itching to be in that fight?
DH: I mostly watched Pardubice in the Extraliga, and I only watched some digests from the NHL. My hands were not itching at all.
TPP: Why did you insist that if you were to make a comeback, you would make it only in Detroit?
DH: Because I played there most recently and I spent a splendid year of my career there. I don't think there is a better hockey town in the United States. Moreover, I'd still like to help reach another achievement for the [Red Wings] organization.
TPP: The Red Wings hired [star goalie] Curtis Joseph as your replacement last season, and he is likely to be put away now because of your return. Did you consult about his status with the club management?
DH: Yes, we talked about it a little bit. But [Joseph's position] is none of my business. I need to leave it to the club's management and to fully focus on my hockey.
TPP: Did you keep in touch with Red Wings players while you were sitting out?
DH: Not too much. But when I traveled to Detroit, I always exchanged a couple of words with the players and the management.
TPP: Your clothing firm, Dominator, is set to expand to Detroit soon. What will be your involvement?
DH: We're opening two shops in Detroit [this fall] and I'm glad that I'll be able to participate. I plan to play an active role in the launch of our enterprises in Detroit. I'm used to monitoring Dominator's activities in the Czech Republic and I participate in remote management of the firm. But hockey is now No. 1 for me again. The rest can take place only in my free time.
TPP: How did your body respond to taking up the burden of professional hockey once again?
DH: I felt great. I didn't need to change anything in my training. I may have spent some more time on the bike due to participating in mountain-bike racing over the summer. However, my training routine remained the same -- I swim, cycle, shoot baskets, play soccer, etc.
TPP: What are your major priorities now?
DH: The three major ones are that my family is satisfied, that the Red Wings achieve their desired goals and that the Dominator clothing line succeeds on the North American market.
TPP: After winning all possible individual and team trophies, what's your motivation now?
DH: My motivation is clear -- to attempt to win [the Stanley Cup] once again. Nothing less, nothing more.
