Wings to retire #91!!!

[Shinzaki]

Ceremony set for January 2026..

[lordstanley]

Excellent!

 

[slothfacekilla]

[buddha]

about time!

[slothfacekilla]

 

 

[sagnam]

8 hours ago, slothfacekilla said:

Exactly what I said when I read the title.

[Jason_R]

I’ll never forget that when fans were holding vigil for Vladdie at the site of the accident, Sergei showed up to be with them. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

It is truly about time that this happened. Federov was one of the most game-changing, dynamic players in the history of our franchise. Along with his Russian Five counterparts, guys like Federov reshaped the game of hockey and the league itself. Well deserved number retirement for Sergei. Love to see it is finally happening.

[lordstanley]

I don't think I've ever been more nervous before a hockey game than Game 6 of the Wings-Avs series in 1997. Wanted revenge on Clod Lemieux and the Arrogants so badly. This goal by Fedorov is when I realized it was happening.

 

[slothfacekilla]

https://www.nhl.com/news/detroit-tigers-players-wear-sergei-fedorov-jerseys-to-ballpark

Pretty cool!

 

AWood threw this up yesterday, he was so fun

 

[Jason_R]

9 hours ago, lordstanley said:

I don't think I've ever been more nervous before a hockey game than Game 6 of the Wings-Avs series in 1997. Wanted revenge on Clod Lemieux and the Arrogants so badly. This goal by Fedorov is when I realized it was happening.

 

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. I loved watching them.

And yes, I loved Stevie, Sergei and the Russian Five, Shanny, McCarty, Drapes... but what about Martin Lapointe? A team could always use a guy like him. 

[Kacie]

58 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. I loved watching them.

And yes, I loved Stevie, Sergei and the Russian Five, Shanny, McCarty, Drapes... but what about Martin Lapointe? A team could always use a guy like him. 

I guess I'm in the minority.  It's not like I don't think he deserves the jersey retirement, but I wasn't bothered by the fact it wasn't.  So much good, but also the not so good things... many nights where he was invisible, laying on the ice like he was shot, the contract issues, the pedophilia.  

Perhaps the Tigers and Lions success has something to do with it, but I haven't been this disinterested in a Red Wings season in decades.  I also feel like the jersey retirement is just to bring up the good old days to distract us from the playoff drought.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Kacie said:

I also feel like the jersey retirement is just to bring up the good old days to distract us from the playoff drought.

This

[holygoat]

I don't care why they're doing it, it's absolutely deserved and should've happened 15 years ago. 

[buddha]

7 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

This

then why didnt they do it last year?  or the year before that?

there's probably plenty of logistical reasons behind the scenes that affect timing that we'll never see.  he was a head coach in russia and, you know, RUSSIA...

i think its been in the works for a while but this is when it worked out timing-wise.  the old man has been gone long enough that the bitterness isnt there anymore.

Edited August 21, 2025 by buddha

[oblong]

I'm glad they're doing it but I think it's fair to wonder if the team had, say reached the 2nd round of the playoffs last year, and had a lot of ticket sales,would they be doing it?  I mean... the same day I got an email about a 5 game package that included this game.

 

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

then why didnt they do it last year?  or the year before that?

there's probably plenty of logistical reasons behind the scenes that affect timing that we'll never see.  he was a head coach in russia and, you know, RUSSIA...

i think its been in the works for a while but this is when it worked out timing-wise.  the old man has been gone long enough that the bitterness isnt there anymore.

all losing teams spend effort trying to polish their legacy, it's marketing 101. If they had had a playoff run last year of course they still might have done it, but the odds would have been lower because there would have been less effort spent  looking for things to burnish the team's appearance with the fans. Also as you note, it takes two to tango, do we really know how long they may been trying to set it up and Sergei just "couldn't find a good time"

Edited August 21, 2025 by gehringer_2

[buddha]

all jersey retirements are marketing efforts.

but the "theyre doing it now because they suck" line is a little dubious to me considering they've sucked much worse a few years ago, and they have been real close to the playoffs and not struggling with attendance the last few years.

[holygoat]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

all jersey retirements are marketing efforts.

but the "theyre doing it now because they suck" line is a little dubious to me considering they've sucked much worse a few years ago, and they have been real close to the playoffs and not struggling with attendance the last few years.

I think you're right, but even if you're not, so what? It's a long-overdue honor that will be fun to watch. I'm not sure why so many people are so motivated to ascribe bad intentions to a good action.

[buddha]

45 minutes ago, holygoat said:

I think you're right, but even if you're not, so what? It's a long-overdue honor that will be fun to watch. I'm not sure why so many people are so motivated to ascribe bad intentions to a good action.

agree.

[slothfacekilla]

50 minutes ago, holygoat said:

I think you're right, but even if you're not, so what? It's a long-overdue honor that will be fun to watch. I'm not sure why so many people are so motivated to ascribe bad intentions to a good action.

Here here, people just want to complain about everything sheesh

[lordstanley]

 

[lordstanley]

Kid Kane!

 

[lordstanley]

 

[buddha]

Sergei might have been the most talented red wing ever.  but also the most frustrating.  he was so good that you always expected even more, and some nights it was clear he just wasnt into it.  

he was always my second favorite red wing after yzerman just cause he was so good, but he'd never replace yzerman.  two stories indicate why.  the first is the story of how fedorov got a knock in a game and left.  it took konstantinov or fetisov going into the medical room and basically calling him out as a pansy ass and to get his behind back on the ice for sergei to go back out and play.  meanwhile yzerman finished his career playing with zero cartilage in his knee, with constant pain, and was still out there every night playing defense and blocking shots.

it took scotty bowman to make yzerman from a fancy offensive stats player to one of the best two way centers in hockey.  sergei was born as one of the best two way centers in hockey, but not even scotty bowman or slava fetisov could get him to do it consistently.