Buffalo's "ancient" Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek, an overnight sensation after years of work, are perhaps the best one-two goaltending tandem in the NHL.
Fuhr is 32. And while no one heard of Hasek while Fuhr was winning five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, he was busy winning five Czechoslovakian goaltender of the year awards.
"Hasek's 30?" said Washington veteran center Dave Poulin before the Capitals' 2-1 loss to Hasek and Buffalo last night. "I bet if you took a poll, no one would guess he was 30. I thought he was 26."
It wasn't until the 1991-92 season that Hasek got noticed in the NHL, making the all-rookie team at age 27. And then he disappeared again until last year when he won the Vezina Trophy with a 1.95 goals-against average -- the first time in 20 years a goalie had finished with a GAA below 2.00.
"You know, when I came from the Czech Republic, I believed I could do what I am doing now," said Hasek, who again leads the NHL with a 1.29 GAA. "But after spending three years here, I didn't believe any more that I could be the best."
No one believed he could.
"He has such an unorthodox style," said Washington assistant coach Keith Allain. "He's on his knees a lot. If you see him after a scramble in the net, he looks like he's all twisted up. A lot of goaltending coaches teach goalies to play a very up-and-down style. So the theory was that he wouldn't be effective over the long haul because there was no consistency to his style. But he's proven all those people wrong."
After playing behind Ed Belfour for two seasons in Chicago, Hasek got his chance with the Sabres when Fuhr got hurt.
Fuhr occupies a locker next to Hasek on the road. He smiled at his teammate. He is getting used to this. In Edmonton, after five Cups, Bill Ranford finally emerged as a top name in the game and Fuhr was traded to Toronto -- just in time to inspire Felix Potvin to stardom.
And now it is Hasek.
"It seems I inspire a lot of unknown goaltenders to be stars," said Fuhr, who still wants to "put a good top" on the end of his career. "But in this case, I don't mind. I'm glad Dominik got his chance. He is the most talented partner I've ever had."
Fuhr, a free agent at the end of the season, doesn't expect to be in Buffalo long. As he puts it, "I'm an awful expensive insurance policy."
But while Buffalo coach John Muckler is on record with "Dominik Hasek is the best goalkeeper in the league," he also has said, "Grant Fuhr isn't going anywhere."
Of course, coaches -- and especially coaches who are GMs -- have been known to change their minds.
One for the videotape
Saturday during an International Hockey League game between the Atlanta Knights and the Cincinnati Cyclones, "Sir Slap Shot," Atlanta's 8-foot balloon mascot, made a mistake. And Cyclones coach Don Jackson made a bigger one.
When Sir Slap Shot rammed the glass behind the visiting team's bench, Jackson got rattled. He went over the glass and pummeled the big balloon. Inside the inflatable mascot suit, Mike Centanni got a cut lip.
Yesterday, the IHL suspended Jackson 10 games and fined him $1,000. The mascot also was fined $1,000 for banging the glass.
Slow train home
Toronto forward Mike Gartner suffered a partially collapsed lung Friday during a 5-3 loss at Edmonton.
Gartner, unable to fly with his lung condition, remained in Edmonton until Monday, when he and a team trainer boarded an eastbound train. He was due to reach Toronto at 2 a.m. today and will be re-examined later this afternoon or tomorrow.
Around the rinks
The Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL's hottest team, absorbed a blow yesterday, losing left wing Luc Robitaille, who was suspended for a high-sticking penalty during Sunday's New Jersey game. Left wing Kevin Stevens already is sidelined with a fractured ankle. . . . When Glenn Anderson joined the St. Louis Blues, he added to the team's Stanley Cup ring count. Anderson has six rings, joining Esa Tikkanen (5), Greg Gilbert (3), Guy Carbonneau (2), Al MacInnis (1), Doug Lidster (1), Donald Dufresne (1) and coach Mike Keenan (1).