BUFFALO, N.Y. — It is known as the greatest trade in the history of the Buffalo Sabres.
There really is no debate.
on August 7, 1992, then Sabres General Manager Gerry Meehan traded with the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Dominik Hasek. Ed Belfour had established himself as the starting goaltender in Chicago, and the Blackhawks, amazingly felt as if Hasek were expendable.
They were interested in center Christian Ruuttu who the Sabres dealt in what was effectively a three-way deal with Winnipeg that also involved goalender Stephane Beauregard and future considerations. Meehan says the deal was structured that way at the time to abide by and deal with league rules at the time.
As for Hasek?
"I'd seen Dominik play very well on the international scene and I thought maybe this might be a guy that could win games for you that you don't deserve to win. Dominik, he did it on and on and on for many seasons. He looked to me like a guy who had an athletic ability and level of determination to indicate the sky was the limit."
The rest is history in what turned out to be a Hall of Fame career for Hasek.