Hasek joined the Buffalo Sabres in 1992 and quickly emerged as one of the league's top goaltenders.

Born January 29, 1965 in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, Hasek attended a try-out for five-year-olds wearing skate blades that screwed onto the soles of his shoes and ended up recruited by the nine-year-old group in need of a goaltender. By 16, he was playing professionally for HC Pardubice in the Czechoslovak Extraliga.

Hasek was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender on six occasions.

Hasek is the only goaltender in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy on two occasions.

A 1992 trade to the Buffalo Sabres gave Hasek the opportunity to emerge as a number one netminder, although he began as understudy to Grant Fuhr, but following an injury to Fuhr, Hasek positioned himself as a starter and never let go. In 1994, he won his first of six Vezina Trophies as the league's premier goaltender, shared the Jennings Trophy (nest team goals-against average) with Fuhr and was runner-up for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable performer. In 1995, he again won the Vezina and was a finalist for the Hart.

In 1996-97, Hasek again won the Vezina Trophy and also took home both the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the most valuable player as selected by the players. The next season, after recording 13 shutouts, Hasek again was awarded the Vezina and both the Hart and Pearson as the NHL's top performer. He became the first goalie in NHL history to win the Hart twice.

He won his third consecutive Vezina Trophy in 1998-99 with a career-best 1.87 goals-against average and a save percentage of .937. He was also a finalist for the both the Hart and Pearson trophies. That season, Hasek backstopped Buffalo to the Stanley Cup final against the Dallas Stars.

Hasek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings prior to the start of the 2001-02 season.

The Sabres traded Hasek to the Detroit Red Wings prior to the start of the 2001-02 season. Wearing the winged-wheel, Hasek posted a career-high 41 wins to help Detroit finish first overall. The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup over the Carolina Hurricanes. Hasek set an NHL record by collecting six shutouts through the post-season.

That summer, he announced his retirement, choosing to spend more time with his family. However, after Detroit's first-round loss to Anaheim in 2002-03, he notified the Red Wings that he would like to play again. Detroit already had Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace under contract, but welcomed back Hasek. In 2003-04, he was injured early in the season, and then announced that he was not going to play any further that season.

After his contract with Detroit expired, Hasek expressed a desire to win a Stanley Cup, and during the summer of 2004, he signed with the Ottawa Senators. That season was eliminated through a season-long lock-out, so Hasek returned to the Senators for the 2005-06 season. An injury during the Winter Olympics forced Hasek to most almost all of the remaining regular season contests, and after the Senators were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, the team opted not to re-sign Hasek.

Hasek was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams with the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008.

In June 2008, Dominik Hasek announced his retirement from the National Hockey League, although in April 2009, he announced a comeback to professional hockey and signed with HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga. A year later, he signed with Spartak Moscow of the KHL and played one final season, announcing his retirement in October 2012.

Through his 735 regular season games, Hasek recorded 389 wins (11th place all-time), 223 losses and 82 ties. His 81 shutouts placed Hasek in 6th place all-time. He finished with a goals-against average of 2.20, 8th best ever, and his save percentage was .922. A six-time NHL All-Star (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001), Dominik Hasek compiled an extraordinary collection of NHL awards: two Hart Trophy wins (1997, 1998), two Lester B. Pears Awards (1997, 1998), six Vezina Trophies (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001), three Jennings Trophies (1994, 2001, 2008) and Stanley Cup championships in 2002 and 2008.

His international play was equally impressive. He led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games and was awarded Best Goaltender, settling for bronze in 2006. Hasek was the Czech netminder for a silver medal at the World Championships in 1983 and bronze in 1987, 1989 and 1990, winning best goaltender award in 1987, 1989 and 1990. He was named Czech Hockey Player of the 20th Century in 1998, Czech Sportsperson of the Year in 1994, 1998 and 2001 and was awarded the Golden Hockey Stick in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1997 and 1998.