Detroit Red Wings

Remembering the warrior that was Konstantinov
June 13, 2017, 10:41 PM ET [22 Comments]
Bob Duff
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Even two decades later, when they think about Vladimir Konstantinov, the members of the 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings can’t help but get misty-eyed.

“He was such a warrior on the ice,” remembered Scotty Bowman, coach of that Red Wings team. “He was really something.”

June 13, 1997 - yes it was even Friday the 13th - was to be a final day of celebration for the Wings before they went their separate ways for the summer. The plan was for a golf outing and then a quiet dinner as a group.

The day was wrapping up and some of the players were staying at the golf club to play cards, while others headed out in limousines provided by the team to ensure no one would drink and drive.

Defensemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov piled into a limo with team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov to make the journey home. But not long into the trek, the limousine veered off the road and hit a tree. Fetisov suffered minor injuries, but both Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov suffered debilitating closed head injuries.

“That was basically the end of the celebration,” defenseman Larry Murphy recalled. “We accomplished what we accomplished, but in terms of enjoying it, it was over.

“It was short-lived.”

Konstantinov, one of the most rugged players in the league and an NHL all-star, would never play hockey again. Six days earlier, he’d been picked as one of the three stars as the Wings defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 at Joe Louis Arena to clinch their first Stanley Cup title since the 1954-55 season.

“Pound for pound, there was nobody that hit harder or hit with as much force as Vladdy did,” Murphy said. “He wasn’t a guy that dropped the gloves but there wasn’t a fiercer competitor out there. He was a guy that the opposition was always concerned about when he was on the ice and you match that with the fact he was a talented player, he moved the puck well, and was responsible,

“He wasn’t a guy who’d go end to end but when he got the puck, he could make that first pass. You combine that with the force out there and you had quite a guy.

“I didn’t really realize the effect he had until I played with him day in, day out.”



Forward Kirk Maltby vividly recalls the moment they got word of the accident.

“Winding down at the golf course, that’s when (captain) Stevie (Yzerman) got the call. At first, I don’t think anyone realized how serious it was. When Stevie addressed us, he didn’t have a lot of details. I don’t think the doctors knew exactly what, they just knew it was pretty bad and that’s when everything came to a halt.

“A group of guys went to the hospital, a big group of guys went back to Osgood’s house and kind of sat around for the word. That’s all you could do.

“We had the news on that was showing the accident. That’s when we first saw the picture of the car. The news had it on TV and it’s like ‘Oh, my God! How did the driver even survive?”

The Wings were crushed once they realized the severity of their teammates’ injuries.

“You talk about emotions going from opposite ends of the spectrum, from the ultimate high of becoming a Stanley Cup champion to getting devastating news that two of your teammates and team masseur had been in a very serious accident,” forward Kris Draper recollected. It’s something that should never have happened. It wasn’t fair.

“You could see how it hit the city as well.”

Today, Konstantinov still battles to remain mobile via a walker and attends many of the team’s celebratory functions, including the farewell game at Joe Louis Arena earlier this year.

“Physically, you see how it’s a bit of a struggle for him and how mobility-wise, it can be tough,” Maltby said. “But to say ‘hi’ or ‘how’s it going”’ or ‘did you have fun?’ He can have a conversation with you that way.”

Through the years, they’ve never forgotten the senseless way in which Konstantinov’s career was halted and his life forever altered.

“It was devastating as a group to have that happen,” Maltby said. “It’s not about having him in the lineup to win games, it was (because) he was a good person, a competitor that worked for everything he’d gotten up until that point. And for it to be taken away in such an unnecessary accident was very unfortunate.”