Vladimir Konstantinov

Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov (Владимир Николаевич Константинов; born March 19, 1967) is a Russian-American former professional ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career, from 1991 to 1997 with the Detroit Red Wings.

Previously, he had played for Soviet club CSKA Moscow.

The +60 was the highest rating a player achieved since Wayne Gretzky finished with a +70 in the 1986–87 season; it wouldn't be matched or surpassed until Johnny Gaudreau registered a +64 in the 2021-22 season.

Konstantinov was drafted 221st overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, after impressing a Wings scout at the 1987 World Junior Championships, where a brawl broke out in the Soviet Union–Canada game.

Although the end of the Cold War was approaching, the Soviet Union was still not allowing their young ice hockey players to leave the country to play in the NHL.

The Red Wings worked for over two years to get Konstantinov to Detroit.

Konstantinov had previously signed a 25-year contract committing himself to the army, and if he deserted, he would be considered a felon in Russia, which would make him ineligible for a work visa in the United States.

He also had a wife and daughter, and would not consider leaving without them.

A Russian journalist named Valery Matveev worked with Wings executive vice-president Jim Lites to secure an army discharge for Konstantinov.

With cash provided by the Red Wings, Matveev bribed six Russian doctors to diagnose and confirm that Konstantinov had inoperable cancer, and thus secured his medical discharge from the military in the summer of 1991.

The Red Wings were planning to fly Konstantinov and his family out from Russia and get him to Detroit in time for the start of training camp in September, but the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt forced a change in plans.

With the airports closed, Matveev took the family by train to Budapest.

Lites met them there, in Red Wings' owner Mike Ilitch's private jet, and went back to Detroit with Konstantinov aboard.

His wife and daughter followed two days later on a commercial flight.

Konstantinov played more aggressively than most of his Russian contemporaries, specializing in getting opponents off their game.

"For my game," he explained, "I don't need to score the goal. I need someone to start thinking about me and forgetting about scoring goals."

While he was known as "Vladdie" to his teammates, his aggressive style of play earned him the nicknames "Vladinator" and "Vlad the Impaler" among the media and fans, as well as "the Red Shark".

Konstantinov was part of the unit known as "The Russian Five", which consisted of him and fellow defenseman Slava Fetisov, and forwards Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Slava Kozlov.

Konstantinov earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995–96, with a plus/minus difference of +60.

In 1996–97, Konstantinov helped his team to win the Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Flyers head coach Terry Murray expected his top line of centre Eric Lindros, left winger John LeClair and right winger Mikael Renberg—known as the "Legion of Doom" for its scoring and toughness—to face Konstantinov.

However, Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman surprised the Flyers by instead opting for the finesse-oriented defense pairing of Nicklas Lidström and Larry Murphy to neutralize the Legion of Doom's forechecking.

In that same year, Konstantinov was runner-up to the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL's best defenseman.

However, 1996–97 would prove to be Konstantinov's final season.

His career was ended in a limousine crash six days after the Red Wings' 1997 Stanley Cup victory.

On June 13, 1997, following a golf outing with the Stanley Cup celebrating the Red Wings' championship triumph, Konstantinov, along with teammate Viacheslav Fetisov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, hired a limousine to drive them home.

The driver, Richard Gnida, whose license was suspended at the time for drunk driving, lost control of the limousine and hit a tree in the median of Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Michigan.

As a result of the limousine crash, Konstantinov suffered from serious head injuries and paralysis, spending several weeks in a coma, while Fetisov escaped with relatively minor injuries and was able to play the following season.

Mnatsakanov sustained significant head injuries as well, and also spent some time in a coma; he has had a considerably more difficult recovery.

Throughout the playoffs the Red Wings' catchphrase was the single word, "Believe", and throughout the 1997–98 season the Red Wings wore a patch, with the initials of Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov featured prominently, with the word "Believe" written in both English and Russian.

Although Konstantinov was never able to play hockey again, the Detroit Red Wings still recognized him as part of their team.

The Red Wings kept his locker set up for him through the 1997–1998 season, although he would never be capable of playing hockey again.

A rock engraved with "Believe" sat in his place.

After the Red Wings successfully defended the Stanley Cup in 1998, Konstantinov was brought onto the ice in a wheelchair, surrounded by his teammates, to celebrate the win.

The Red Wings sought and received special dispensation from the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup after they won the 1998 title.

Konstantinov's jersey #16 has not been officially retired by the Red Wings.

However, out of respect for Konstantinov, no player has been given the number since Kostantinov's last game.

In 1999, newly acquired Pat Verbeek, who had worn #16 for much of his career, switched to #15.

A similar situation occurred in 2001 when the Red Wings signed Brett Hull, who had worn #16 for the bulk of his career with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars; Hull switched to #17.

Drafted prospect Xavier Ouellet, who had worn #16 as a member of the Grand Rapids Griffins, switched to #61 for the Red Wings.