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Hall of Fame netminder Dominik Hasek is a legend of the Buffalo Sabres. He won five Vezina Trophies in Buffalo while leading the Sabres to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999.
However, before Dominik Hasek ruled the crease, he played a minor role with the Chicago Blackhawks. After a successful international career in Europe, he joined the Blackhawks in 1992. The Hawks’ starting goaltender at the time was another Hall of Famer, Ed Belfour.
Belfour was a Calder and Vezina Trophy winner himself. As such, there was little competition for the starting job in Chicago at the time. So, Hasek played as Belfour’s back, making an appearance in the 1992 Stanley Cup Final.
With another goaltender, Jimmy Waite, on Chicago’s depth chart, the Blackhawks felt that Hasek was expendable. So, Chicago pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. Chicago sent Hasek to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for goalie Stephane Beauregard and a 1994 fourth-round pick.
Let’s unpack the return for Hasek. Beauregard had gotten his start with the original Winnipeg Jets franchise in 1989. He played three seasons in Winnipeg before signing with the Sabres, but before Beauregard played a game with the Sabres, he was dealt to Chicago.
Beauregard spent most of the 1992-93 season in the AHL before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. As such, he never played a game in Chicago.
As for the fourth-round pick, the pick was used on forward Eric Daze. The pick turned out well, as Daze played over 600 games with the Blackhawks, scoring 226 goals and registering 398 points. Meanwhile, Hasek went on to become a legend in Buffalo.
What if Dominik Hasek had stayed in Chicago?
Belfour played with the Blackhawks until the 1996-97 season. That year, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks as he was getting set to hit free agency. Belfour only played 13 games before signing with the Dallas Stars during the 1997 offseason.
Belfour would eventually lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to several deep postseason runs, coming narrowly close to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. But what if the Hawks hadn’t traded Dominik Hasek?
The club would have never given Dominik Hasek the chance to be a starter. Perhaps Hasek wouldn't have gotten an opportunity until Belfour left town in 1997. That situation would have robbed Hasek of a chance to win the Vezina Trophies he collected in 1994, 1995, 1997 and possibly 1998.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres wouldn't have had the anchor they got in Hasek. Moreover, that 1999 Cup Final appearance would most likely never have occurred.
It’s fascinating to speculate about what-ifs. But thankfully, the trade happened, as it allowed Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres to enjoy one of the most historic chapters in NHL history.
