NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: HURRICANES v RED WINGS

June 13, 2002

Dominik Hasek

DOMINIK HASEK: Yeah,of course I was watching Ray Bourque when he won the Stanley Cup and he could raise the Cup last year. However, before the season and during the season when the people were asking me I never want to be compared to him. I don't know why. I just said myself I do it my own way. I don't want to be compared to -- he was such a great player, but I don't want to be compared to anyone. I mean, and feeling what I can say, I mean, when Brendan Shanahan scored that third goal I was so thrilled so, happy. I tried to stay focused for the 44 seconds left because the game wasn't over and I mean, I never seen such exciting building like last minute of the game. This Joe Louis arena and after we raised the Cup, I mean, I cannot describe the feeling, that's all I can say.

DOMINIK HASEK: You are the first to ask and it's the first time I can start to think about it. During the game and after, until you ask me, I didn't even think about it. And talking about bone -- bonus, in my contract, I said, I don't want one big bonus, I want one big bonus and that is to win the Cup. And what I can say, it was my dream and the dream came true. I am so happy I made the right decision in June one year ago asking Sabres to trade me and to trade me to Detroit. I make good decision. I am so thankful to this organization that they could make it.

DOMINIK HASEK: I don't want to say yes because next three, four days I will make final decision because I will sit with my wife and make final decision. No better feeling than to win the Cup, however, there's so much sacrificing, so much hard work, you know, so much pressure. On the other hand there's no better feeling, so two, three days and I will make final decision what I am going to do in the future.

DOMINIK HASEK: This is the question. This is the question. I mean, the truth is I want to go back to the Czech Republic with my family but for my kids will make final decision later when they go to the college. But for me, the biggest dream was to win the Cup and I have done it. So there's the question if I want to do it one more time because all these individual trophies, you know, I am proud of them but there's no better feeling than to raise the silver Stanley Cup.

DOMINIK HASEK: He's a very special person, I never had a coach in my life who was so admired or respectful, not only in the locker room, but in the whole community, in all around the city. I think what is very special about him, he had so many Stars on the team but the whole year, I don't know it was because of our experience, or of him, but we had one goal and he had so many Stars on the team they played probably half of the time they used to play but there was no problems in the locker room because we knew we were for one goal and it was the Cup. I think you have to give him the credit because he knew how to handle all these stars.

DOMINIK HASEK: You surprised me with the question. Right now I don't want to make any decision right now in this special moment. Today tonight or whatever, I just want to enjoy it to be with the Cup to be with my teammates, with my family because it was my dream. I work so hard -- in Buffalo I work hard we came to the Final but not farther, but now my dream came true and I enjoyed this moment for a couple of hours maybe a day or two and then probably talk being my future. Then I will make my final decision.

DOMINIK HASEK: Exactly. There was many questions, I will be honest, it bothered me because you know, there were many goalies they didn't win so many individual trophies, but they could raise the Cup and I was always compared to Patrick and other goalies and so now I can say that at least once I raised the Cup also, I could -- and we had good team in Buffalo but I am so glad I asked to be traded because to play for this team could give me a huge chance to win the Cup and I am glad I was part of it. Now you know, not only all these trophies, I won the Cup also, so there is nothing missing, I think nothing -- in what I could accomplish.