The evolution of Sergei Fedorov: From Soviet defector to NHL superstar to ....
....Russian rebuilder.
Pretty nice little human interest story from Cotsonika.
For some reason this stood out the most for me:
Quote:
Later, Fedorov returns to his office. He doesn't have many mementos on display, but he does have a framed picture of him and his family with Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, taken the night he won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward in 1994. Detroit is like Fedorov's other Russia. He remained loyal and returned, even though he once chose to leave. He appreciates it more with age.
Though he signed as a free agent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003 and went on to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Washington Capitals and the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk, he kept a place in Detroit. He still has a townhouse there. His parents still live there. He spent a month there this summer.
"Certainly Detroit is a huge era for me," says Fedorov, who won three Stanley Cups with the Wings. "I'm talking about even from Day 1, we were a good team. We progress and gain experience and gain good players, good coaches. Eventually we won. Those days are unbelievable. As I grow older, as I gain more experience, I'm ecstatic sometimes. Sometimes I get chills."
Glad to hear he is doing well and did know he has kept his place all these years in Detroit before this, but I hope a lot of people read that and understand that. Really gets run through the mud around Detroit still by way too many people. The guy loves the Red Wings and the Detroit area.
I have started to wonder if the KHL and NHL are truly going to play nice wouldn't it be great to get a partnership going. Soccer teams do this, I would love to see these two power hockey brands unite in some way. I know that is probably a pipe-dream but I think it would be really cool if they figure out a way to do it.
Hoping to see #91 go to the rafters soon in Detroit.
Glad to hear he is doing well and did know he has kept his place all these years in Detroit before this, but I hope a lot of people read that and understand that. Really gets run through the mud around Detroit still by way too many people. The guy loves the Red Wings and the Detroit area.
I have started to wonder if the KHL and NHL are truly going to play nice wouldn't it be great to get a partnership going. Soccer teams do this, I would love to see these two power hockey brands unite in some way. I know that is probably a pipe-dream but I think it would be really cool if they figure out a way to do it.
Hoping to see #91 go to the rafters soon in Detroit.
40 team NHL
8 5 Team Divisions.
Step one. Move Phx to Quebec
Move Florida to Seattle
Move Columbus to Markham
Step two 5 Team division in Europe and 6 5 team divisions in North America
European Conference
Northern European - Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, London
Metro European - Berlin, Paris, Prague, Moscow, St. Petersburg
North East Conference
Atlantic -Boston NYR, NYI, Philadelphia, New Jersey
Northeast Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto2, Quebec
Eastern Conference
Midwest -Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St, Louis
Southeast - Tampa, Carolina, Nashville, Dallas Washington
Western Conference
NorthWest Vancouver, Minnesota, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg
Southwest - San Jose, Los Angeles, Colorado, Anaheim, Seattle
Top 4 teams in each division (32 team playoffs)
Round 1 Division Semifinals
Round 2 Division Finals
Round 3 Conference Finals
Round 4 Final 4
Round 5 Stanley Cup Finals
I sometimes wonder if Lidstrom will miss Michigan too. Both guys moved here there (can't refer to it as here any more...) when they were barely out of their teens, still kids in many ways. Sure, they had the travel and hockey lives going but hadn't yet established their own homes.
Their formative adult years were spent with the Wings, with obviously amazing experiences for their careers. I don't think that just gets turned off. It's interesting that Fedorov, who outright left the organization, kept ties and a home in the area. When Lidstrom's career finished, he sold the family home and outright moved back to Sweden. Do the kids make that switch as easily, having been mostly raised in the US?
Step one. Move Phx to Quebec
Move Florida to Seattle
Move Columbus to Markham
Step two 5 Team division in Europe and 6 5 team divisions in North America
European Conference
Northern European - Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, London
Metro European - Berlin, Paris, Prague, Moscow, St. Petersburg
North East Conference
Atlantic -Boston NYR, NYI, Philadelphia, New Jersey
Northeast Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto2, Quebec
Eastern Conference
Midwest -Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St, Louis
Southeast - Tampa, Carolina, Nashville, Dallas Washington
Western Conference
NorthWest Vancouver, Minnesota, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg
Southwest - San Jose, Los Angeles, Colorado, Anaheim, Seattle
Top 4 teams in each division (32 team playoffs)
Round 1 Division Semifinals
Round 2 Division Finals
Round 3 Conference Finals
Round 4 Final 4
Round 5 Stanley Cup Finals
Absolutely just not plausible for a multitude of reasons.
Excluding the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Oilers and Canucks... last year you had 25 teams that posted a loss of $86 million. The majority of the teams in the 30-team league are losing money and you want to add 10 teams. Not only that, but make the NHL a global league?
Travel expenses and time differences make your proposition very close to impossible. We complain as Red Wing fans when we have to fly to a west coast road trip. Imagine having a game in Russia then turning around and having a game in LA? Talk about a pain in the ass.
Absolutely just not plausible for a multitude of reasons.
Excluding the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Oilers and Canucks... last year you had 25 teams that posted a loss of $86 million. The majority of the teams in the 30-team league are losing money and you want to add 10 teams. Not only that, but make the NHL a global league?
Travel expenses and time differences make your proposition very close to impossible. We complain as Red Wing fans when we have to fly to a west coast road trip. Imagine having a game in Russia then turning around and having a game in LA? Talk about a pain in the ass.
Oh Big whoop. You make one trip over the Atlantic a year for a five game trip
I mean, using your reasoning, we should just have a 5-team league.
The article about Datsyuk on Sergei's team (linked from the posted one) is pretty good too. Interesting to see what one of the most skilled, dynamic, Russian Red Wings of all time thinks of the current one.
Oh Big whoop. You make one trip over the Atlantic a year for a five game trip
I mean, using your reasoning, we should just have a 5-team league.
For the sake of competition and league interest I think it is a great idea. But I do not think it would be economically feasible. Throw in time zones and travel and that really makes things difficult.
For the sake of competition and league interest I think it is a great idea. But I do not think it would be economically feasible. Throw in time zones and travel and that really makes things difficult.
Hockey is a world sport.
NHL needs to make it happen before somebody else does.
Then again, the NHL is pretty much clueless, as we know.
Would be a lot better than that stupid world league idea you posted.
Go ahead and tell me why it's stupid.
I've told you why an NHL champ vs KHL champ game is a bad idea.
If you wanted to do something glorified exhibition game, don't do it in September, when nobody cares. Maybe make it an "outdoor classic" game in February or something
But a September 15th game between the LA Kings and Omsk won't generate any excitement.
I've told you why an NHL champ vs KHL champ game is a bad idea.
If you wanted to do something glorified exhibition game, don't do it in September, when nobody cares. Maybe make it an "outdoor classic" game in February or something
But a September 15th game between the LA Kings and Omsk won't generate any excitement.
I mentioned September because my post was referring to the UEFA Super Cup which is contested at the start of the domestic league for each of the two clubs.
Your idea would be better if it was more like FIFA's Club World Cup.
I sometimes wonder if Lidstrom will miss Michigan too. Both guys moved here there (can't refer to it as here any more...) when they were barely out of their teens, still kids in many ways. Sure, they had the travel and hockey lives going but hadn't yet established their own homes.
Their formative adult years were spent with the Wings, with obviously amazing experiences for their careers. I don't think that just gets turned off. It's interesting that Fedorov, who outright left the organization, kept ties and a home in the area. When Lidstrom's career finished, he sold the family home and outright moved back to Sweden. Do the kids make that switch as easily, having been mostly raised in the US?
I don't think Lidstrom has left Detroit completely. After I heard he had sold his house and had moved I had seen him in Twelve Oaks mall over in Novi about the last week in August.
Him signing with Anaheim will always be a sad story to think about. He should have stayed and won a couple of more cups.
I still think, it was better for Red Wings that he left, if we look at the big picture. What happened when the cap was brouht, and how we would live with his contract...
That contract extension for 10 million (and 5 years) with 7.6 million caphit after the lockout could have cost the 2008 Cup for us. That contract would have ended at 2008 and it would have been a caphell for us with aging Fedex (38-year old when the contract would have ended).
We used the millions for cheaper replacement players, and it opened a big spot for the next wave of offensive team leaders (Datsyuk and Zetterberg).
Only Lidström was worth the 7.6, we all know that.
But, still that doesn't change the fact that Fedorov is one my of favourite players ever. Love-hate relationship. No regrets. I would never boo for him.
Just like the UEFA Super Cup. Except sub the Champions League winner with the Stanley Cup winner, and the Europa League winner with KHL's.
Maybe do an eight team tournament of the final four from the NHL playoffs and the final four from the KHL playoffs? While keeping the Stanley Cup as the trophy for the NHL playoffs of course.
I don't think Lidstrom has left Detroit completely. After I heard he had sold his house and had moved I had seen him in Twelve Oaks mall over in Novi about the last week in August.
I wonder if it was some instinctive need to fly to Detroit at that time of year.
Maybe he missed the guys and came over to see everyone before they got locked out and scattered.
I still think, it was better for Red Wings that he left, if we look at the big picture. What happened when the cap was brouht, and how we would live with his contract...
That contract extension for 10 million (and 5 years) with 7.6 million caphit after the lockout could have cost the 2008 Cup for us. That contract would have ended at 2008 and it would have been a caphell for us with aging Fedex (38-year old when the contract would have ended).
We used the millions for cheaper replacement players, and it opened a big spot for the next wave of offensive team leaders (Datsyuk and Zetterberg).
Only Lidström was worth the 7.6, we all know that.
But, still that doesn't change the fact that Fedorov is one my of favourite players ever. Love-hate relationship. No regrets. I would never boo for him.
Robert Lang wouldn't have been a Red Wing if Fedorov had stayed. Not sure how they would have made up the difference; it would probably have been Schneider on the outs.
