A Legend Returns

Sergei Fyodorov, legendary 27-year-old hockey forward, slipped away from his Soviet teammates during the Atlanta Goodwill Games in 1990 and never looked back. For the past seven years, he has played with the Detroit Red Wings. During the 1996-1997 season, he, along with the other members of Detroit’s “Russian five” – Kozlov, Konstantinov, Fetisov and Larionov – led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup victory after a 40-year drought for the team. But during the victory celebration, tragedy struck. The limousine carrying Konstantinov, Fetisov and masseur Mnatsakanov crashed, leaving both Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov in a coma. The driver of the limo was found to have traces of marijuana in his blood and was recently sentenced to nine months in jail.

Now, after a widely publicized contract dispute with the Wings, Fyodorov is back in Russia, currently practicing with Moscow’s CSKA (Red Army) team. With so many great Russian hockey players having emigrated to Canada and the US, the Russian press seized on this event as a miracle, and much has been written about “our Sergei” coming back to play in the motherland.

In an interview with Russia’s most popular sports newspaper Sport-Express, Fyodorov advised Russians not to believe American newspapers, which are presenting his labor dispute in a light favorable to the Red Wings’ owners. In light of these comments, Russian Life sent Associate Editor Anna Hoare to find out Fyodorov’s real views on Russian and American hockey and his future plans. She caught up with him between practice sessions at the Red Army hockey rink on Leningradsky Avenue ...

Russian Life: Could I get your own version of why you left the Soviet Union?

Sergei Fyodorov: Because I figured out that I had no future here, as far as hockey goes.

RL: What was your Soviet club and coach before you left?

SF: Red Army. Viktor Tikhonov. I played there four seasons.

RL: What was your reaction to life in Detroit when you first got there? How did it differ from life in Russia?

SF: It was very strange, and I had no idea what I was facing. But after a while, I learned everything and things became much simpler.

RL: What did you miss most about Russia?

SF: I think when you are brought up in your home country, you miss it, everything about it. I know I did. I realized that only after a few years living in the States. But after a while I had the chance to come back, and I’m pretty secure about that right now.

RL: What was your most memorable moment playing in the NHL?

SF: I had quite a few. Of course, there is the glory, there are important goals, important games. But probably the most important was winning the Stanley Cup in ‘97.

RL: Tell me a little about your teammate Vladimir Konstantinov. What is his condition now?

SF: His condition is much much better since that terrible accident. I’m glad he had one chance and he used it to come out of the coma. And now he’s doing much better with help from doctors and therapists. He regained his focus. He can stand. He can’t walk, but he’s working on it, and, in the last few weeks, he has started to speak a little bit. He said some names of his family and relatives. So he’s got lots of therapy still to go, but he’s doing just the way he’s supposed to. He fought back and hopefully he’s going to regain his life as a normal person. After that happened, I was very sad and I’m still asking myself why it happened. The limousine is supposed to be the safest part of the celebration, and it’s very tough to understand.

RL: What went wrong in Detroit in terms of your contract dispute?

SF: I have a few things to say, like, nothing went wrong. We finished the 1996-97 hockey season. Then we went into the playoffs; we won the Cup. So nothing went wrong from my point of view. It’s just that my contract expired, just as anyone else’s could have expired in different jobs. Say, for Ford Motor Company or something. And you have to talk to your boss to renew your contract and see what your future plans are. That’s what we’re doing right now. I just have a few financial disputes with the manager of the club. My agent and I are the only ones talking to the club, because the other couple of hockey players aren’t even talking at this time (middle of November). And I think this is a very big plus.

RL: What made you decide to come back to Russia?

SF: I probably have no comment. It was just one of those decisions that I had to make. (In the Sport-Express interview, Fyodorov was less reserved on this issue: “In my opinion,” he said, “the Red Wings’ management doesn’t want to see me on the team. I conclude this from the fact that my talks with Detroit management are not progressing one step.” – Editor)

RL: Are you planning to participate in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan?

SF: It’s still questionable. There are quite a few things to think about. At this moment, I have to regain my life in the NHL first, then I will start thinking about things like the Olympics.

RL: So you do plan to return to the NHL? Is this just a break for you before going back?

SF: Of course. This is not a break, it’s just a holdout. I have to take care of business and get back to the NHL.

RL: When you return to the NHL, will you have any regrets about leaving CSKA?

SF: No, no regrets. My life is in the States.

RL: You won’t miss Russia?

SF: Obviously, I will. But I have the chance to go back, and that’s all that matters. You come back, touch your soul with Russian culture and your mother country, and then go back and do what you love to do and play good, hard hockey.

RL: How do you see CSKA’s prospects this year?

SF: This year, they will try to make the first ten teams in the Russian hockey league. They have quite a few games to go, and I’m sure it’s not going to be easy. Right now, they are in ninth or tenth place, and they have to play the first five clubs in the league. So they have a very tough schedule, but I hope they can win a few games to help them regain that tenth or ninth spot in the Russian hockey league.

RL: Was there any particular reason you decided to play with Volchkov and not with Tikhonov? (Ed: At present, there are two Red Army clubs in the league. Tikhonov – Fyodorov’s former coach, who has been accused of being authoritarian by some of his former players – heads up the 13th ranked team (out of 14), while Volchkov coaches a new, break-away team.)

SF: No reason, really. This is the Red Army club, the club I left. It’s just a different coach. This is the real club, they came from the first league. To be honest with you, everything has changed here lately, there have been many changes in terms of management within the club. But the people I trust are working for Volchkov’s club and I believe I’m in the right place. I’d like to thank this club for giving me a chance to just practice with them. In my mind, I thought I could play a few games for them while I’m holding out.

RL: How do you feel about Russia losing her prestige as a big hockey power? With people like yourself and other big stars going to the States and Canada to play?

SF: How do I feel? I feel awful. But this is not the reason, that the best players have left. This is part of the problem, but the other part is economic. I don’t even want to get into that issue, because it’s not my business. I just feel that, when they opened the borders a little bit, people chose to live where they wanted to be, and obviously there was a breakdown in the system, and everybody went to the NHL to play there. And I think, why not? – it’s probably a better lifestyle. But Russia is still Russia. This is our home country, and when we have a chance, we always come back here.   RL

(Just as this issue was going to press, Sergei Fyodorov’s agent, Mike Barnett, announced that Fyodorov, fed up with his contract talks going nowhere, said that he wants to be traded to another NHL team (Fyodorov is demanding $6mn over four years, while Detroit is only prepared to offer $5 mn). Meanwhile, the team’s General Manager, Ken Holland, said he is optimistic that an agreement will be reached, saying he does not plan to trade Fyodorov and wants to see him on the team.– Ed.)