Buffalo has been home to many great goalies. But for two years from 1993-95, the Sabres employed two Hockey-Hall-of-Fame goaltenders in Dominik Hasek And Grant Fuhr.
The Buffalo Sabres have employed more than a few great goalies over the years. But in the two years from February of 1993 through February of 1995, the Sabres had superstar netminders in Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek. And in this THN Archive story from THN's Feb. 10, 1995 edition, writer Michael Ulmer put the spotlight on the Sabres' goaltending picture:
TWO STARS SQUEEZE INTO SABRES’ CREASE
By Michael Ulmer
BUFFALO -- But for NHL rule 15(c), the Buffalo Sabres would have this Stanley Cup thing pretty well licked.
The statute, enacted in 1931, forbids teams from deploying more than one goaltender at a time. Nobody had tried that little gambit, but the rulemakers, perhaps prescient in anticipating the arrival of Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan, thought they should nip the idea in the bud.
The Sabres, with Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek, have $4.3 million worth of goaltending this season-$2.7 million with Hasek and $1.6 million with Fuhr. It’s a situation that makes for enviable depth, but awful economics.
After a lethargic few seasons, Fuhr is showing signs of aging gracefully. He has reconfigured both his work ethic and technique and the result is a well-conditioned athlete who relies less on natural talent and more on sound mechanics.
Fuhr is svelte and powerful at 195 pounds and has worked steadily to lose a lingering habit of trying to stop every shot, low and high, with his glove. Fuhr was so confident in his right catching hand, he never needed to develop a pad stack on that side.
The technique worked when Fuhr was faster than most any speeding bullet, but he is now 32. Age and injuries have shaved a nanosecond off his reflex time.
“Now he’s much more effective,” said Sabres’ goaltending consultant Mitch Korn. “He gets the whole package in front of the shot instead of just a limb.”
This is delightful news for the Sabres, but with the presence of Hasek, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner and the first goalie in a generation to beat the 2.00 goals-against average standard, it’s all a bit excessive. Especially if the Sabres can convert one of them into front-line defenseman or forward.
When Hasek arrived at the Sabres’ pre-season workouts after a few games in the Czech Republic, he was out of game shape. Fuhr was inserted into the lineup and played splendidly in the Sabres’ 2-1 opening night win over the New York Rangers. Advantage Fuhr.
Hasek won his next two starts, including a vintage 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils Jan. 25 in which he stopped 29 shots. Advantage Hasek.
“I’m feeling more comfortable,” Hasek said. “I think I wasn’t in good shape when I headed to training camp, but I was coming in and I changed changed time zones. I felt very tired.”
Coach-general manager John Muckier, wary of complacency, sent a clear message to Hasek, a message deciphered by the rest of the Sabres. He has convinced the best goalie in the league last year he will have to fight to earn his job.
“I don’t know if I’ll play so many games like I did last year because now we change with Grant half and half,” Hasek said. “Of course I would like to play 80 per cent of the games, but I don’t know.”
Fuhr, meanwhile, is already eyeing the end of the season when he becomes an unrestricted Group UI free agent and the Sabres retain no right to match.
“I wouldn’t call it limbo. Suspended animation would be better,” Fuhr said. “Right now I’m here playing for my benefit. (The Sabres) get the benefits of my benefit. I’d love to drive up my value because at the end of the year, I’m an unrestricted free agent.”
The less Fuhr plays, the less he’ can drive up that value. So naturally, Fuhr isn’t enamored with the idea of splitting the netminding.
“I’d want to play more, to keep that sharpness in the playoffs,” he said.
Fuhr said watching Hasek backstop the Sabres in last year’s post-season was painful and told The Hockey News during the lockout he wants out of Buffalo.
“It wasn’t fun, I didn’t enjoy it at all,” he said. “I spent the playoffs rebuilding my golf swing. That’s not something I planned on doing during playoff time.”
Muckier, meanwhile, said he doesn’t know how he will deploy the two other than to use both in the early going. The crease logjam, Muckier said, is a non-issue.
“Can you keep both happy? I don’t know,” Muckier said. “I hope so. The media always wants to bring this up because they want to start a controversy all the time. It’s an old, old story.”
Defenseman Doug Bodger said the situation is nothing more than an embarrassment of riches.
“Last year, Dominik had the best goals-against average since Bernie Parent,” Bodger said. “And (Fuhr) has won five Stanley Cups.”