Gave: Wings unlikely to retire Fedorov's No. 91, but there's room for compromise
The debate over whether the Red Wings should retire Sergie Fedorov's No. 91 is on a fast track now that the club has signed free agent center Brad Richards, who has worn the same number lately in his NHL career.
Fedorov, Detroit's lone NHL MVP since Gordie Howe last won the last of his six in 1963, helped the Wings win three Stanley Cup titles and was widely acknowledged as the world's best player in his prime. Last week, he joined teammate Nicklas Lidstrom in the Hockey Hall of Fame's class of 2015 -- a worthy honor considering his long list of remarkable accomplishments with the Wings.
But retire his number and raise it to the rafters? That's going to be an awfully heavy lift as long as Mike and Marian Ilitch own this club.
The Ilitches value loyalty every bit as much as they do winning -- and making money. And for all the splendid highlights and moments that Fedorov brought us out of our seats with the kind of hockey this town had rarely seen, he remained loyal only to himself.
Remember that long contract holdout after the Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42 years in 1997 that ended with Fedorov signing a staggering $38 million contract with Carolina, owned by longtime Ilitch rival Pete Karmanos? Mike and Marian Ilitch do. They were forced to scramble with bankers to match the offer, and had to come up with the $28 million that Fedorov collected for playing just 43 games that season.
Yes, he helped the Wings win their second straight Stanley Cup that spring, but that amount remains by far the largest single amount paid to an NHL athlete.
Five years later, as an unrestricted free agent, Fedorov spurned a five-year, $50 million offer from the Wings to sign a deal with Anaheim worth $40 million for five years. How badly do you want to get out of Dodge that you'll take $10 million less to walk away?
Remember that? Mike and Marian Ilitch do. And they're the ones who have the final say on which players are honored in perpetuity. As they should; it's their hockey club.
There may be room for a reasonable compromise, however, while honoring one of the most memorable eras in Wings history -- and five fabulous players at once. Hang a banner with the names and numbers of all the Russian Five who were so instrumental in helping the Wings end their Stanley Cup drought.
Invite Scotty Bowman -- the man who assembled them and put them together as a unit nearly 20 years ago -- and have him help hoist the banner to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena. Three of those players, after all, are in the Hockey Hall of Fame: Slava Fetisov, No. 2; Igor Larionov, No. 8, and Fedorov. The others: the ever-popular Vladimir Konstantinov, No. 16, and Slava Kozlov, No. 13.
Three of those numbers remain in service: Brendan Smith wears No. 2; Justin Abdelkader wears No. 8; and Pavel Datsyuk wears No. 13. No one has worn No. 16 since Konstantinov took off his sweater on June 7, 1997, the night the Wings won the Cup. Six nights later, a limo crash ended his career.
Oct. 24 marks the 20th anniversary of the trade Bowman made with San Jose to bring Larionov to Detroit and complete the Russian Five unit. Hold a ceremony this fall honoring them, but keep all their numbers in service.
That way, Richards can wear No. 91 in Detroit, if it means that much to him. But we bet it doesn't.
For the record, Richards came into the league wearing No. 19. No chance for that in Hockeytown, with Steve Yzerman's number retired. He started wearing 91 in Dallas, because No. 19 was retired there, too, honoring Bill Masterton, the only NHL player to die as a direct result of injuries during a game when the franchise was in Minnesota.
Richards wore No. 39 in juniors, That number has a little cache in Detroit, too. The last Red Wings player to wear it for a full season was Dominik Hasek -- who's also in the Hall of Fame.
