Vladimir Nikolayevich Konstantinov

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RussiaRussia  Vladimir Konstantinov Ice hockey player
Date of birth March 19, 1967
place of birth Murmansk , Russian SFSR
size 180 cm
Weight 80 kg
position defender
Shot hand Right
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 1989 , 11th lap, 221st position
Detroit Red Wings
Career stations
1984-1991 HK CSKA Moscow
1991-1997 Detroit Red Wings

Vladimir Nikolayevich Konstantinow ( Russian Владимир Николаевич Константинов ; born March 19, 1967 in Murmansk , Russian SFSR ) is a former Russian ice hockey player . He played as a defender in the Soviet ice hockey league and in the National Hockey League and was a member of the " Russian Five " of the Detroit Red Wings . His career ended prematurely when he suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 1997, as a result of which he is now severely disabled.

Career

Soviet Union

His career began in 1984 in the Soviet ice hockey league, at the Central Sports Club of the Red Army and Soviet subscription champion HK CSKA Moscow . He also won several world championships with the Soviet national team.

Towards the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s - Konstantinov was meanwhile captain at CSKA and in the Soviet national team - many Soviet players, such as B. Vyacheslav Fetisov and Sergei Fyodorov , in the NHL. Konstantinov, who was also a lieutenant in the Red Army , wanted to follow his compatriots, but was refused a move to the West by Soviet officials.

For this reason, he initially faked a serious viral disease, which allegedly would not allow him to continue his career, and asked to be allowed to be treated in the USA . However, his departure was prevented by the authorities. a. by the Soviet national coach Viktor Tichonow , who did not believe Konstantinov was ill.

He finally managed to leave the country, allegedly by paying bribes to various agencies, in August 1991, in the turmoil of the failed military coup against Mikhail Gorbachev .

Time in the NHL

In the NHL, Detroit Red Wings had already secured the rights to Konstantinov in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft , albeit only as number 221, because at that time the change of Soviet players to the NHL still seemed unlikely. The Red Wings scouts (talent scouts ) noticed Konstantinov's aggressive style of play at the 1986/87 Junior World Championship in Czechoslovakia at the match between Canada and the Soviet Union. In this game there was a mass brawl between the two teams, which led to the game being abandoned and both teams being disqualified. No other Soviet player hit back as violently as Konstantinov, which impressed the scouts.

1991/92 , in his first NHL season with the Red Wings, he formed, among other things, a defender couple with Steve Chiasson , with whom he had fought in the mass brawl during the Junior World Championship. At this time, Konstantinov's style of playing was atypical for Russian players, who mainly impressed with their skating and stick technique. His strengths were tough body checks , his duel behavior and the "clearing away" of opposing strikers in front of his own goal. The North American sports media, with their penchant for nicknames, called him because of the "Vladinator", in reference to the Terminator , and "Vlad the impaler" ( Vlad the Impaler ), after a Transylvanian tyrants of the late Middle Ages .

In his first NHL season he was elected to the NHL All-Star Team of the rookies (league newbies). In the 1995/96 season he led the league's plus-minus rating with the outstanding value of +60 and was elected to the second All-Star team. In 1997 he had a large share in the Stanley Cup win of the Red Wings (4-0 sweep in the final series against the Philadelphia Flyers ), he himself finished second behind Brian Leetch in the election for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the best defender in the league from the New York Rangers .

In 1989 he was inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame .

Accident and end of career

Six days after the 1997 final victory, on the way to an official Red Wings appointment, the vehicle with Konstantinov, his Russian team-mate Vyacheslav Fetissov and Sergei Mnazakanow, a Russian Red Wings supervisor, hit you off the road Tree. The driver, an employee of a commercial transport service who was drunk while driving, and Fetissov were only slightly injured as they were buckled up. Konstantinow and Mnazakanow, however, suffered life-threatening head injuries.

Konstantinov was in a coma after the accident , from which he only woke up after several weeks. However, he had retained permanent brain damage, so that speech and memory had largely been lost. In addition, he could only be moved in a wheelchair with outside help .

In the following 1997/98 season, the Red Wings wore a circular emblem on their jerseys in honor of Konstantinov and Mnazakanov, on which the word "Faith" and the initials of the two could be read in English and Russian. The team won the Stanley Cup again this season after another sweep in the final series against the Washington Capitals . When the Stanley Cup was awarded, there was an emotional scene: Konstantinov was driven onto the ice in a wheelchair, captain Steve Yzerman passed the cup on to Konstantinov as soon as he received it, and the whole team drove with him the lap of honor.

Konstantinov's jersey number 16 was not officially banned by the Red Wings, but out of respect, no player has worn the number since the accident. In 2001 superstar Brett Hull , who had worn the number 16 his entire career, was hired, but he also did without it and instead wore the 17, which earned him sympathy with the fans.

Konstantinov's condition has improved somewhat, he is able to move around with a walking aid and can speak again. He lives with his family near Detroit . He became a US citizen in July 2005.

Achievements and Awards

Career statistics

Regular season Play-offs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1984/85 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 40 1 4th 5 10
1985/86 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 26th 4th 3 7th 12
1986/87 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 35 2 2 4th 19th
1987/88 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 50 3 6th 9 32
1988/89 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 37 7th 8th 15th 20th
1989/90 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 47 14th 13 27 44
1990/91 HK CSKA Moscow Vysschaya League 45 5 12 17th 42
1991/92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 8th 25th 33 172 11 0 1 1 16
1992/93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 5 17th 22nd 137 7th 0 1 1 8th
1993/94 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 12 21st 33 138 7th 0 2 2 4th
1994/95 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 3 11 14th 101 18th 1 1 2 22nd
1994/95 ESC Wedemark 1st League 15th 13 17th 30th 51
1995/96 Detroit Red Wings NHL 81 14th 20th 34 139 19th 4th 5 9 28
1996/97 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 5 33 38 151 20th 0 4th 4th 29
NHL overall 446 47 127 174 838 82 5 14th 19th 107

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Konstantinov, Vladimir Nikolayevich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Константинов, Владимир Николаевич (Russian spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH March 19, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Murmansk , Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic , Soviet Union