Hakak was born in Slovakia. His career with Montreal began on Feb 18 of 2007 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Within a month, Halak got his first shut out. It was against the Bruins.
His second shut out also came against Boston, shortly thereafter.
At the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, Halak played for the Slovak Team.
Late in the 2007–08 season, Halak became the Canadiens backup goalie.
When Price didn't pan out to be as good as expected, Halak began to get more starts.
His performances improved rapidly until the 2010 Olympics where he blew away everyone
who watched him play. He was unbeatable. He let in only one goal against Russia and scared the shit of Team
Canada when they almost lost to Slovakia. The Slovak Team finished 4th but the Halak legend had begun.
The Canadiens barely squeezed into the 2010 playoffs (8th in the eastern conference).
In the first round, he was instrumental in tumbling the great Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals (1st overall).
He set a Montreal Canadians record with 53 saves in a playoff game.
Halak won the Molson Cup player of the year for the 2010 season for Montreal. |
