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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Dominik Hasek is not a goaltender anymore. He hasnt taken his customary place between the posts since his last game on Feb. 27, 2011 for Spartak Moscow of the KHL. He has thought and talked about playing since, but never followed through. "My equipment is still in the same bag," he said. Even when the 49-year-old plays with friends once or twice a week, Hasek plays as a defenceman. Forty years as a goalie was enough. And its unlikely the man nicknamed "The Dominator" can capture the kind of performances that made him one of the best goaltenders in his era, alongside Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. Hasek played his final NHL game five years ago, and then officially retired in 2012. Its taken time since he left the league for his true place in NHL history to come into focus. Six Vezina Trophies as the leagues best goaltender, two Hart Trophies as MVP, one Olympic gold medal, six first-team all-star selections and two Stanley Cups -- one as a starter -- dont even tell the whole story. Few goalies during the 1990s and 2000s could do what Hasek did to opponents. "He mentally and physically intimidated you," said St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who beat Hasek in the 1999 Cup final with the Stars. "I think there were games that you knew you were never going to score on him, and I think it was very discouraging at times. I think thats a great quality. Id never seen the guy quit on a puck, Id never seen the guy give up on anything. And thats hard to play against." Haseks .922 save percentage is the best of any goalie since the league started keeping track in 1982-83. His 2.02 goals-against average is the best in the modern era, slightly lower than Ken Dryden and Brodeur. Brodeur has many more shutouts, but when Hasek was on his game, he had the ability to almost will teams to win. "He makes a team believe," ex-Sabres and current Stars coach Lindy Ruff said in a phone interview. "You just start believing that with him in goal you can win any given night." Ruff recalled times when Hasek was so locked in that "we really only had to score one. And if we got two, it was almost guaranteed-win night." Hasek, who is being inducted into the Sabres hall of fame Saturday night and will be the first NHL player to have the number 39 retired next season, wanted victories more than trophies or honours. "I want to be remembered as a competitor who gave the teams always (the chance) to win the game," Hasek said Friday at First Niagara Center. "As a great goalie, as the person or goalie who gave the team (a chance) to always win the game. Thats what was hockey for me. I enjoyed my time, I enjoyed when I played here and any time I step on the ice my goal is to win the game and try to help my teammates win the game." Hasek will forever trail Brodeur (three Cups with the New Jersey Devils) and Roy (four, two each with the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche), and one of his two in Detroit came as Chris Osgoods backup. But Hasek could potentially have won another title in 1999, had it not been for Brett Hulls controversial skate-in-the-crease overtime series winner in Game 6. A Cup there would have burnished Haseks legacy even more, but its not something that he laments 15 years later. "Its part of the life," he said. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you come close and you dont win it the whole way. It was an unfortunate night for us, it was something disappointing, but for me it wasnt end of my life." Far from it. In fact, Hasek teamed up with Hull to win the Cup in 2002 with the Red Wings, posting six shutouts along the way. "Winning a Stanley Cup anywhere, its hard," said Sabres coach Ted Nolan, who spoke with Hasek Friday for the first time since Nolan was fired in Buffalo in 1997. "Its hard and all the stars have to line up. They didnt quite line up here but he went and lined it up in Detroit pretty well." In 1999, Hasek had two shutouts and a playoff-best .939 save percentage in almost getting the Sabres their first championship in franchise history. Stars centre Joe Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe Trophy, but it easily couldve gone to Hasek even in a losing effort. "We were a huge underdog, obviously, going through the playoffs," Ruff said. "I thought that our team really fed off of Doms performance for the most part. He wouldve been able to take a team that wasnt supposed to get there and win it." Haseks dominant prime lasted six seasons, from 1993-94 through 1998-99, when he led the league in save percentage every single time and came away with five of his six career Vezinas. Asked about those years, Hasek smiled and brushed off the notion that it mightve been the best stretch any goalie has ever played. "I dont think about this that way," Hasek said. "I got a chance to prove, to become starting goalie and after that I had, I dont know, six, seven years, which we had great teams, we made it every year to the playoffs except one of nine years." Hasek proved much more than that, something that will more than likely be validated with induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. "For me its a no-brainer," Ruff said. "I think he definitely stands as one of the best. He was on the cutting edge of the way a lot of goaltenders play. Always looking for a way to be better. He could take a team a long ways with the way he played." Hasek isnt carrying teams anymore, instead living back home in the Czech Republic and working "a little bit" in hockey and also in business. As much as hed appreciate it, making the Hall of Fame was never his goal, and thats not his focus even now. "There are new goals in life and always something new to prove. The hockey career is something what is behind me," Hasek said. "What great years, what fantastic things to do something what you enjoy, what you love to do, and be very well paid and be around the people who you love and spend great time with them. However its part of the life that every professional player has to retire some day, and you wake up and you enjoy your life different ways." Siran Neal Jersey .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Jordan Poyer Jersey . After a 99-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his Celtics coaches and teammates have only positive things to say about the Toronto-born rookie. http://www.cheapbillsjerseysonline.com/?tag=o-j-simpson-jersey-online . He is nigh unstoppable against the leagues worst. The 31-year-old dangerman set up two goals and scored two himself as Toronto FC rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the slumping Houston Dynamo 4-2 on Saturday night. Jeremy Kerley Jersey . PAUL, Minn – The clock lingered for what seemed like an interminable two minutes and 51 seconds before Mark Fraser finally escaped to the bench during a wildly one-sided first period of an eventual loss to Boston. Cheap Bills Jerseys Free Shipping . His fellow Finn, 21 years his junior, had just arrived in Anaheim and was hoping to stick with the Ducks.CLEVELAND -- Hisashi Iwakuma kept his road record spotless with one minor blemish. Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Iwakuma (9-5) improved to 9-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his last 14 road starts, the second-longest such streak in club history. The Japanese right-hander is 5-0 outside Seattle this season. "I didnt even know that," Iwakuma, speaking through a translator, said of his road perfection. "I dont what the secret is." Dustin Ackley hit a two-run double in Seattles four-run fourth against Trevor Bauer (4-6). Mike Zunino homered in the fifth for the Mariners, one of six teams scrapping for the ALs second wild-card spot. The Indians are 5-7 since the All-Star break and are trying to decide whether to be active before Thursdays trade deadline. Once again, Iwakuma didnt do anything to hurt himself. He allowed two runs and six hits, and only walked one -- his first free pass in six starts. The right-hander has walked just nine all season. "Im a little disappointed he walked a batter," joked Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon. "Hes pretty good. He did a nice job for us." Iwakuma went 35 2-3 innings and 139 consecutive batters without giving up a walk before he put Michael Brantley on with four consecutive balls in the first. McClendon laughed about Iwakumas stunning loss of control. "He doesnt mess around," McClendon cracked. "He gets it done and gets it out of the way." Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his league-leading 29th save, and 18th in 19 tries. The Mariners, who came in with the fewest runs scored in the AL, took a 4-0 lead in the fourth when they hit three doubles off Bauer. Kyle Seager opened the inning by bunting against the shift, pushing a ball down the third-base line. Bauer hit Zunino, and one out later, Corey Hart hit an RBI double. With two outs, Ackley ripped his double off the right-field wall to mmake it 3-0.dddddddddddd Chris Taylor added another RBI double just over the glove of leaping left fielder Chris Dickerson. Zuninos 16th homer gave the Mariners a 5-0 lead in the fifth and chased Bauer, who had gone at least six innings in each of his previous four starts. Iwakuma dominated the Indians through four, but Cleveland got two runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Yan Gomes and Jason Kipnis run-scoring groundout. RUNNING AMOK The Mariners, who hadnt scored five runs in their past six games, improved to 39-10 when scoring four or more in a game. "Thats a good position for us," Ackley said. "When we get ahead, it gives us a better feeling and puts the pressure on them." BUSTED Seattle snapped a six-game losing streak in Cleveland. The Mariners last win at Progressive Field was on Sept. 19, 2011. NICE GRAB Seattle centre fielder James Jones ran down a drive by Nick Swisher and made a leaping catch before crashing into the padded wall in the seventh. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: Left-hander James Paxton (strained back muscle) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and as long as there are no setbacks, he could start Saturday in Baltimore. He hasnt pitched in the majors since April 8. Indians: As centre fielder Michael Bourn rehabs his surgically repaired left hamstring, manager Terry Francona is trying to let the speedster recover at his own pace. Bourn has been on the disabled list since July 6, and its not yet known when he will go on a rehab assignment or be activated. Bourn took batting practice before Tuesdays game. ON DECK: Two of the ALs top pitchers match up in the second game of the series when Seattles Felix Hernandez takes on Clevelands Corey Kluber. Hernandez (11-2) has allowed two runs or less and pitched at least seven innings in 13 consecutive starts, an AL record. King Felix, though, is just 7-5 in his career against the Indians, with all five losses coming in Cleveland. Kluber (10-6) carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his previous start. 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