Retire 91?
A look at why Sergei Fedorov should have his number retired by the Red Wings, and why it hasn't already
In the team’s near-century of existence, the Detroit Red Wings have only retired eight numbers. With the retirement of former Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk last summer, there has been talking amongst fans about wanting his number 13 retired. Whilst there is no denying that this should be considered in the future, there are other iconic former Red Wings whose numbers should be in the rafters before Datsyuk- most notably fellow Russian Sergei Fedorov. Any player who achieves anywhere near what Fedorov had with the Wings should have his number retired. Why has it been any different for him?
After defecting from the then-Soviet Union, Sergei Fedorov made an immediate impact in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and 48 assists for a total of 79 points in his first season for Detroit. He was a Calder trophy finalist that season but would lose out to Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks. Fedorov’s success in his rookie season would prove to not be a fluke, becoming a consistent 30-goal scorer during his time in Detroit and would even reach the 50-goal mark once in the 1993-94 season with 56 goals. His offensive ability and knack for scoring goals would make him a threat any time he stepped on the ice. However, Sergei was not only an offensively-minded forward. He played an amazing two-way game, making him a Selke trophy finalist in 1992 and winner in 1994 and 1996. He would also win the Hart Trophy in 1994, making him the only player to win both the Hart and Selke trophies in the same season. Sergei would also participate in the All-Star game and skills competition six times throughout his career.
Sergei Fedorov was a key player for the Detroit Red Wings through the early and mid-1990s, with the individual silverware to back it up. But how much does that really matter when he had still failed to help the team win a championship? What was the point of being a star player on a team that couldn’t quite win it all? After being swept by the Devils in the ‘95 Stanley Cup Finals, it looked like the Wings could bounce back after acquiring centre Igor Larionov from San Jose- the final piece of Detroit’s “Russian Five.” However, Fedorov and the Red Wings would not make it to the Cup Finals in 1996 after losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. Every year that should’ve been Detroit’s year so far wasn’t. The following postseason, the Wings and Avs would face off again in the Conference Finals. At this point, it was clear: whoever won would go on to win the Cup. Detroit would beat Colorado and then sweep the Flyers in the Finals. After 42 years, the Red Wings had finally won the Stanley Cup. Fedorov and the rest of the Russian Five would play a key part on the road to the championship. Detroit would win the Cup the following year and would do it again in 2002; whilst he would never win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, Sergei Fedorov would be an important part of all those teams.
Even with all of this, the Red Wings have not retired his number. The well-accepted reason is that his relationship with ownership seemed to sour in the late ‘90s, and the nature of his departure from the team only seemed to add to this. Fedorov would sign an offer sheet from the Carolina Hurricanes which led to him sitting out a majority of the 1997-98 season as the Red Wings took their time to match the offer sheet. This would lead to Sergei being paid $28 million by the time the team lifted the Cup in the postseason, making him the highest-paid NHL player in a single season of all time. Coincidentally, Sergei would be stripped of his status as assistant captain after the offer sheet incident. In the 2003 offseason, he would become a free agent after refusing the contract offered to him by Detroit. From what can be seen, it appears that ownership felt that, as they helped the Russian to defect and come to North America in the first place after drafting him, he owed it to them to stay with the Red Wings. As he did not do this, this is likely to have upset ownership quite a lot- it looks like there is still a grudge against Sergei to this day. However, this is all just speculation.
It is highly unlikely that Sergei Fedorov does not have enough achievements with the Detroit Red Wings to warrant 91 not being retired. The Canucks retired Pavel Bure’s number in 2013 and he didn’t have as long of a list of accolades. The primary (or sole, depending on how you want to look at it) reason for 91 not to be in the rafters alongside other Detroit legends appears to be ownership issues. Maybe one day, when they finally decide to bury the hatchet and move on, will we finally see it. Until then, as unfair as it is, it looks like Hell will freeze over before we see a Sergei Fedorov number retirement night at Little Caesars Arena.