PRAGUE — The NHL opened its regular season in Prague last week with a two-game Global Series between the Buffalo Sabers and New Jersey Devils. The Czech hockey legend made headlines. Jaromir Jagr dropped the ceremonial first puck ahead of Friday's game. Patrick Eliash, the Devils' all-time leading scorer, was with the team all week and dropped the puck in Game 2 of the series.
However, one of the greats of Czech hockey was conspicuously absent. Dominik Hasek, a Hall of Fame goaltender who led the Czech Republic to an Olympic gold medal in 1998 and one of the greatest players in Sabers history, did not attend the game or participate in any promotional activities leading up to the game. Did not participate. . Last Thursday, Hasek issued a statement on his X account criticizing the NHL for allowing Russian players to play in the league as President Vladimir Putin continues Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Friday afternoon, hours before the Jagrs dropped their ceremonial first puck, Hasek met with: The Athletic This is to discuss ongoing issues with the NHL.
Dear citizens, dear hockey fans,
The new NHL season begins tomorrow in Prague.
As someone for whom human life ranks first in my imaginary values, I cannot remain indifferent to this. Unfortunately, I have to say that this is my third time…
— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik) October 3, 2024
“My motivation is huge,” Hasek said. “I consider everything that I do on this topic to be of great importance. What is happening in Russia today, the Russian Tsarist war in Ukraine and other crimes related to it, is very important. It's very similar to what we did. And we all know how it turned out. This must never happen again. That's why I won't escalate the war of aggression against Russia. We're trying to publicly explain to people all over the world what's important and how to act to get it done as quickly as possible. And of course, the main motivation is to save lives. It’s always a priority.”
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, intensifying the war between the two countries. That same month, the NHL released a statement condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and announced it had suspended relations with its Russian partner. Hasek made his feelings known since the day Russia invaded. He said he sent an email to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman but received only a short response. In the years since then, Hasek said the league has made no effort to dialogue with him. The NHL declined to comment on the matter.
During that time, Hasek called for the NHL to pay billions of dollars in compensation to Ukraine and was outspoken about allowing Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics. He says having Russians in the NHL will serve as publicity for the country's activities and improve morale within Russia.
Hašek also ran for the Czech Senate this year. In September, Hasek failed to pass the first round of voting. He is taking time off to decide his next steps, but hopes to remain involved in politics.
It wasn't until 1989, when Hašek was 24 years old, that the Czech Republic separated from the Soviet Union. Hasek is no stranger to life under authoritarian rule. He doesn't want his children to know what it's like. Hasek has a nearly three-year-old son, Honza, with his current partner, and two adult children, Michael and Dominika, with his ex-wife. After retiring from the Detroit Red Wings, Hasek returned to the Czech Republic to raise his children in his home country.
Hasek also played the final year of his career in the KHL during the 2010-11 season. President Putin has served as Russia's prime minister or president since 1999, making him the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin.
However, although Hasek majored in history at university, he only became interested in politics after his playing career ended. Since then, he has become more outspoken on certain issues, including this one.
Many in the Czech Republic share Hašek's concerns and views, and for hockey fans, it goes beyond the NHL. In 2023, Czech Extraliga team Litij Kladno, owned by Jaromir Jagr, signed goaltender Julius Hudacek, who was born in Slovakia and played for a Kazakhstan-based KHL team the previous season. Fans threatened to protest the match, and Kladno released Hudacek a few days later.
This is the second time the NHL has come to Prague since Russia invaded Ukraine. In 2022, the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators played here, with each team having Russian players on their rosters. Neither the Devils nor the Sabers brought Russian players to the Global Series, but Hasek still did not want to participate. He believes the NHL needs to talk publicly about the issue instead of “burying its head in the sand.”
The NHL's first statement after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 said: “We also remain concerned about the safety of Russian players who play in the NHL, not on behalf of Russia, but on behalf of NHL clubs. “I am doing so,” he said. We understand that they and their families are in a very difficult position. ”
The fact that the NHL has not changed its position since that statement is disappointing to Hasek.
As Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky's scoring record, Russia's war in Ukraine will become more prominent in NHL storylines. Ovechkin still has a photo of himself with President Putin as his Instagram profile picture, and has not made any strong statements against the war. He hasn't talked about war since 2022.
“I’m Russian, right?” Ovechkin said in 2022. It's not in my hands. I hope (the war) ends soon. I hope that both countries will find peace. This is out of my control. ”
Hasek said he believes only Russians who condemn the war should be allowed to play in the NHL. But he understands the difficult position Russian players are in. Since Hasek lives in a free country and is not an NHL employee, he says he is free to speak his mind. It's more difficult for people who worry about their safety or the safety of their families, Hasek added. Or even those who could face job loss or other economic consequences for what they say.
Hasek does not blame individual Russian athletes for not speaking out.
“We need to set rules that will incentivize Russian athletes to come out in public,” Hasek said. “Some players can be the best ambassadors of peace. Unfortunately, the NHL is of no use to Russian hockey players.”
Artemi Panarin, the Russian star for the New York Rangers, has been outspoken against President Putin in the past. Hasek also named Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a Russian who spoke out against the war as a member of the Calgary Flames in 2023. He posted “No to war” on his Instagram account with the caption “Stop it!!!” He also gave a two-hour interview on YouTube with Russian journalist Yuri Doud in which he explained his opposition to the war. Hasek felt the NHL didn't provide enough support.
“I have to say this is a subject that people are very afraid to talk about publicly,” Hasek said. “In the Czech Republic, we have great fear of Russia, which the parliament has designated as a terrorist state. Regarding Russia, we have experience in this direction and, unfortunately, there have been casualties. We don't know how the situation will develop and if Ukraine falls, we too could become victims.”
Hasek said he would like to hear more former players speak out on the subject because they are no longer dependent on the NHL for work. He knows that it is not easy to overcome these situations. He admitted that he now believes it was his own mistake last year.
Last season, Hasek traveled to Buffalo as part of his annual philanthropic trip with his foundation, Hasek Heroes. While there, he attended a Sabers game and participated in the start of the game by playing the drums to get the crowd excited. He still loves Buffalo and considers it one of the best hockey towns in the United States. But I realized that participating in that way went against what I had been saying. A few days later he apologized to X.
Statement regarding event participation and public and media inquiries on January 18, 2024: For my annual visit to Buffalo USA (business, philanthropy), I accepted an invitation from a friend. @NHL Games (January 18, 2024). At the same time, (continued)
— Dominik Hasek (@hasek_dominik) January 23, 2024
“I believe that participating in and starting the match was a big mistake,” Hašek wrote. “Here, I would like to apologize to all Ukrainian soldiers and all Ukrainian people who heroically protect not only their Motherland, but all of Europe, from the enemies of imperialism, and who have supported me and will continue to support me.” To my fans and all those I have let down with my actions, I find this personal failure of mine very difficult to excuse and I will try harder to rectify the situation. I can promise you that it will never happen again, and I will fight to the fullest and cooperate with everything that the Russian state-controlled terrorist regime attacks. Criticize people.”
Last week, Hasek met with Sabers coach Lindy Ruff and several others he knows from his time in Buffalo. He also met with the Sabers website's video team to help with a project they are working on about his backstory.
“I have no interest in severing ties,” Hasek said. “I'm interested in supporting the NHL as much as possible with my actions, and nothing has changed about that. Otherwise, of course, I wouldn't be at these two games and this year's It has nothing to do with the opening of the NHL. The reason is obvious: I don't want to participate in any event that promotes the Russian war.”
(Photo: Petr David Josek/AP Photo)
