from Ken Campbell of kencampbell.substack.com,

Twenty-five years ago today, Dominik Hasek stood between Russia and an Olympic gold medal. And as the greatest goalie in NHL history – yeah, I said it – celebrates one of the crowning achievements of his Hall of Fame career on the silver anniversary of the Czech Republic’s gold in Nagano, he’s still standing up to Russia.

The man who grew up during Communist rule and Soviet occupation in the former Czechoslovakia has not hid his disdain for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He spoke out about it early and often and has been highly critical of the NHL for allowing Russian-born players to continue to play in the best league in the world. When the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators played games in Prague to open the 2022-23 regular season, Hasek made it clear that the Russian players – Alexander Barabanov of the Sharks and Yakov Trenin of the Predators – were not welcome, and he lobbied the NHL and his own government to keep them off the ice.

“What is bothering me is people are dying,” Hasek said in a telephone interview with Hockey Unfiltered. “By the hundreds every day, on both sides. I’m trying to help because I know what I’m doing is the right thing. I will try to do anything to shorten the war and help (fewer) people die. That is my goal and anything I do and anything I say is just for this one goal.”

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