Wings to retire #91!!!

[buddha]

but i am happy he is getting his number retired and i will probably tear up a little watching all those old highlights.

the red wings getting the russians together and taking players out of the eastern bloc has been told a number of times now, but its still an amazing story how they did it, and it set the franchise up for a 25 year run that has never been duplicated in the modern post original six era.

unlike the penguins or blackhawks or any other team that has won multiple cups, the wings won with different teams and werent gifted generational players thanks to the lottery gods.  they did it through scouting and development.  as a wings fan, that's a source of pride.  and sergei was a big part of that.

[slothfacekilla]

 

[sagnam]

2 hours ago, lordstanley said:

 

I think I was in the nosebleeds for this game

Edited 13 hours ago by sagnam

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Long, long, long overdue. We're finally retiring #91 tonight. No other player deserves to wear this number. 

 

[sagnam]

Lucky. Wish I was there.

[ewsieg]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

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.  

I listened to a Brett Hull podcast/interview recently where he claimed that Sergei was put on defense as a punishment because Bowman didn't believe he was consistently giving 100% but then was even more pissed off after because he realized he had a norris trophy level player in him if he kept him on D and wasn't sure if he actually had learned his lesson or not.  

[Mr.TaterSalad]

I'm bummed they didn't invite Anna Kournikova tonight. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

It was an honor and a privilege to grow up watching Sergei play. What a treat we all got as fans. 

[lordstanley]

47 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

I'm bummed they didn't invite Anna Kournikova tonight. 

Ha, I was just thinking about her the other day. Turned 16 the night the Wings won the Cup in ‘97. Rode with Sergei in the parade a few days later. 

[lordstanley]

 

[slothfacekilla]

 

 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

10 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

Ha, I was just thinking about her the other day. Turned 16 the night the Wings won the Cup in ‘97. Rode with Sergei in the parade a few days later. 

I'm sure every red blooded, 16 year old sports fan was thinking of Anna lol.

[lordstanley]

 

[lordstanley]

 

[gehringer_2]

28 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

 

Igor still lacing 'em up.

[Motor City Sonics]

'bout time.  

 

Did it come down to him agreeing to say publicly that leaving was a mistake?   

[gehringer_2]

Nobody could have predicted it, but somehow it has turned out much more fitting for Federov to have his number retired by a team in 1st place.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

2 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Nobody could have predicted it, but somehow it has turned out much more fitting for Federov to have his number retired by a team in 1st place.

Yeah, no one booed Yzerman when he spoke lol. No one booed Holland for that matter, not even me. 

[gehringer_2]

3 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

'bout time.  

 

Did it come down to him agreeing to say publicly that leaving was a mistake?   

I doubt it. I think it came down to Chris I and Yzerman and Sergei were all youngish together in those years and Chris knew all those guys in a different way than his father did and so didn't have those hang-ups. It was inevitable but it had to work its way through.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Look whose back tonight doing the Anthem . . .

Edited 11 hours ago by Mr.TaterSalad

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Just like that, it's 1-0. Maybe JVR will score all 5 goals tonight. 

[Jason_R]

In all my life as a Detroit sports fan, the Red Wings have given me the most indelible memories.

I remember the Russian Five toying with grown men like they were children. 

Of course I remember the revenge game against Claude Lemieux and the Avalanche, which resulted in the Stanley Cup.

I remember then the horrible limo accident… then Sergei Fedorov went to the site of the accident just to be with fans who were holding vigil. After he did that I could never have been mad at him even though it still pains me that he left. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

We've gotten lucky and Carolina a bit unlucky that a few bounces didn't break for goals. Carolina is one of the better forechecking teams in the league too and we've handled it fairly well tonight, even if puck luck and bounces have gone our way. Gibson having a nice game too. He's turned it on this last month compared to where he started the season. 

[holygoat]

6 hours ago, ewsieg said:

I listened to a Brett Hull podcast/interview recently where he claimed that Sergei was put on defense as a punishment because Bowman didn't believe he was consistently giving 100% but then was even more pissed off after because he realized he had a norris trophy level player in him if he kept him on D and wasn't sure if he actually had learned his lesson or not.  

Here it is. Hull is a pretty funny dude.

 

[oblong]

11 hours ago, lordstanley said:

Ha, I was just thinking about her the other day. Turned 16 the night the Wings won the Cup in ‘97. Rode with Sergei in the parade a few days later. 

I have a picture somewhere, up close, of the two of them in the car.  I hope I still have it somewhere at least...  She looked all of 16 too... at the time we were wondering who she was.  In my memory it was that event that made people ask the question.  This is pre internet.