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Hasek Gives Red Wings A Facelift - August 31, 2001 - Vol. 54, Issue 41 - Chuck Carlton
In between his brother’s wedding and signing with Philadelphia, free agent-to-be Jeremy Roenick paid a visit to Detroit in late June.
Beyond pay and role and lifestyle, Roenick wanted the Red Wings to answer a pointed question, according to one report. “What are you going to do about your goaltending?” Roenick asked.
Whether the team believed it had a problem with goaltending, perception does matter. So if Roenick and others held the view that Detroit’s netminding was a weak spot, maybe something had to done.
Soon, something was. From Buffalo came sixtime Vezina winner Dominik Hasek, which makes the Red Wings one of the potential winners in a summer marked by changing addresses and increasing net worths.
The teams that emerged better positioned in August were the ones that met a need (Philadelphia), changed their chemistry with impact players (Washington, Dallas) or merely reached deep to make sure a good thing continued (Colorado).
Detroit’s case was a composite of all three. While GM Ken Holland wouldn’t discuss the Roenick anecdote, he acknowledged being driven by Detroit’s early playoff exits the past three years.
“We wanted to do something major to change the look,” Holland said. “Once we were informed that Hasek was available and we were one of the cities that Hasek wanted to go to, he became a priority. He’s a game-breaker.”
