Dominik Hasek used to set up a puck machine, aim it to fire just under the cross-bar and lie down in the crease. Custom Boston Celtics Jerseys . With pucks coming as fast as they could fly, Hasek would kick one of his legs in the air with perfect timing and stop the shots.The hockey world is full of similar stories of Haseks unique training regimen, and theres a seemingly unending highlight reel of show-stopping saves he made during his NHL career.Call him crazy, but also call him one of the best goaltenders in history.There was definitely a method to all of his madness, former NHL goaltender John Davidson said. (He could) make saves youre not supposed to make. He was quick, but he knew how to read plays and he could find a way to get it done by twisting his body and rolling over. Whatever it took, he got it done.A six-time Vezina Trophy winner as the top goaltender and two-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, Hasek was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. On Tuesday night the Buffalo Sabres, with whom he had his best years, will retire his No. 39 before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he won the Stanley Cup.In reflecting on Haseks career, former coaches and goaltending analysts love to explain how The Dominator became an all-time great. Just about everything about his style was unconventional, but he stopped the puck better than almost anyone to ever play the position.Playing in an era alongside Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, Hasek stuck out like a sore thumb, according to goaltending analyst Justin Goldman of The Goalie Guild. Goldman said Haseks kinesthetic sense of how to control his muscles and mind and body set him apart.His ability to basically contort his body amidst the speed or the unpredictability of an NHL game at that time was at another level, Goldman said. He was able to be unconventional because he had the flexibility and he had the ability to contort and control his body in ways that no other goalie had at that time.Hasek, a native of the Czech Republic, was able to grow into his own style of goaltending, Goldman said, because he wasnt over-coached at a young age. Whereas most goalies follow a cookie-cutter approach, Hasek knew he could be himself by knowing his body, shooters tendencies and the flow of the game better than most.Even if his style looked complicated, his philosophy wasnt.I felt until the puck crosses the line, you still have the chance to do (something), Hasek said before going into the Hall of Fame.After parts of two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he was stuck behind Ed Belfour, Hasek was traded to the Sabres and began to blossom in North America. It was there that he studied under the tutelage of goaltending coach Mitch Korn, who didnt try to change Haseks unique, all-over-the-crease style.Fortunately, I didnt understand English at that time, so I had no idea what was written about me in the papers what the coach is saying, Hasek said. I had a very good goalie coach in Buffalo when I came there, Mitch Korn. He knew that my style is not bad. He said, You just need to work on some other things to get you better.Korn said he and Hasek spent a lot of time improving skating and movement and handling the puck. Fundamentally, Korn worked on Haseks glove hand.Dom never closed his glove at the beginning, said Korn, whos now goaltending coach of the Washington Capitals. He used to just cradle the puck maybe a little bit like (Henrik) Lundqvist does today, and he learned how to close his glove and to catch a puck.More than anything, Korn said during Hall of Fame weekend, Hasek learned to be patient and make shooters react first. With his mental speed, that put him way ahead of the competition.Of course Hasek very rarely looked in control, even if he was. Davidson, now president of the Columbus Blue Jackets and chairman of the Hall of Fame selection committee, was an analyst when Hasek broke into the league and at first couldnt understand how he played.Over time, Davidson learned to appreciate how Hasek dropped his stick to pick up the puck with his blocker hand or how he barrel-rolled to get from post to post.That style, people look at it and go, Man thats just kind of like water running all over the place, Davidson said. It was not. Everything he did was by design. The more you studied him and watched him play, the more you saw that, you know what, he did that on purpose and for a reason, and it worked for how he played the game.Goldman, the author of The Power Within: Discovering the Path to Elite Goaltending, believes Hasek was underrated in his athleticism and intelligence.He literally was a genius, Goldman said. He loved to play chess, he was very, very competitive in chess. And if he wasnt a hockey player, he probably wouldve been able to score high enough on an IQ test to be in Mensa. ... He was basically like a goalie genius.Hasek didnt have to understand kinesthetic sense to have it. By ingraining so many habits into his goaltending, he became a Hall of Famer without over-thinking.It becomes such a routine and such a daily part of life that it becomes an unconscious skill, Goldman said. Its almost like a muscle memory.Hasek made memories by backstopping the Sabres to the 1999 Cup final at the tail end of his prime, during which he led the NHL in save percentage six straight years. He finished his career with 389 victories, a goals-against average of 2.20 and save percentage of .926.By beating Canada in the 1998 Olympics and sitting atop the NHL, Hasek became an idol to many goaltenders in the Czech Republic and elsewhere. Czechs Michal Neuvirth of the Sabres and Petr Mrazek of the Red Wings, who will start in goal Tuesday night in Buffalo, are among those who looked up to him.But neither Neuvirth nor Mrazek plays like Hasek, who Davidson referred to as a rubber man. Certain aspects of Haseks goaltending can be followed, but Davidson and Goldman dont believe anyone can mimic him completely.Its basically impossible to replicate that because his genetic biomechanics, his genetic framework or blueprint is completely unique to himself, Goldman said. No one else is ever going to have the slinky for a spine or that genetic flexibility.The closest goalie currently in the NHL may be Jonathan Quick, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings whose movements between the pipes arent like most of his contemporaries. But Hasek was one of a kind.Its almost spiritual in nature, Goldman said. To a goaltending guru, he was a work of art. ...Youre just not going to see another goaltender like that.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Kevin Mchale Celtics Jersey . No such luck. Wiggins owned the end of Parkers impressive homecoming. The Kansas star scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Parker down the stretch and helping the fifth-ranked Jayhawks knock off No. Paul Pierce Celtics Jersey . -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold. http://www.celticsteamproshop.com/Cheap-Gordon-Hayward-Celtics-Jersey/ . -- With Tony Allen back, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to turn up their defence pressure and hold off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch. HOUSTON -- Washington outfielder Bryce Harper had surgery on his injured left thumb on Tuesday and will be out for an extended period of time. Manager Matt Williams would not commit to a time frame, but said "that time frame is out there" after reports Monday that he would be out until at least July. "The doctor reported that everything went fine, and we got a little message from Bryce about getting back and taking BP post-surgery," Williams joked. "It went fine, well have to see how long it takes ... we expect him to heal fast. Given his history, he has healed pretty fast. We are optimistic about it, but were not really sure how long it is going to take." The two-time All-Star was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with what was then called a sprained left thumb. Williams talked about what Harpers absence will mean for his team. "It hurts a lot. Hes a fantastic player," Williams said. Walter Brown Celtics Jersey. "Well certainly miss him, but were going to have to step up." He was injured on Friday night against San Diego on a headfirst slide into third base on a triple. He remained in the game until after the next inning. Despite the injury, Williams is not opposed to headfirst slides. "Bryce had another collision sliding feet first earlier in the year, and he hurt himself last year sliding feet first," Williams said. "Its something that you cant control. The play that he hurt himself on, he was trying to get to third base the quickest he could, and I dont know if he is safe if he slides feet first. He was safe sliding head first, but he got the thumb in the wrong position." The 21-year-old Harper is batting .289 with one home run and nine RBIs this season. Harper was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012 after hitting .270 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs. Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 ' ' '