Vladimir Konstantinov

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Konstantinov was drafted 221st overall in the 1989 NHL entry draft by the Detroit Red Wings, after impressing a Wings scout at the 1987 World Junior Championships, where a brawl broke out in the Soviet Union–Canada game. The Red Wings worked for over two years to get Konstantinov to Detroit. A Russian journalist named Valery Matveev worked with Wings executive vice-president Jim Lites to secure an army discharge for Konstantinov. According to unsubstantiated accounts, Matveev allegedly bribed doctors to diagnose Konstantinov with cancer to secure a medical discharge, but this story remains apocryphal and is not confirmed by reliable sources. The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt forced a change in plans; with airports closed, Matveev took the family by train to Budapest. Lites met them there, in Red Wings' owner Mike Ilitch's private jet, and went back to Detroit with Konstantinov aboard. His wife and daughter followed two days later on a commercial flight. Konstantinov played more aggressively than most of his Russian contemporaries, specializing in getting opponents off their game. He was part of the unit known as 'The Russian Five', which consisted of him and fellow defenseman Slava Fetisov, and forwards Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Slava Kozlov. Konstantinov earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995–96, with a plus/minus difference of +60. In 1996–97, Konstantinov helped his team to win the Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers. In that same year, Konstantinov was runner-up to the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. On 13 June 1997, following a golf outing with the Stanley Cup, Konstantinov, along with teammate Viacheslav Fetisov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, hired a limousine to drive them home. The driver, Richard Gnida, whose license was suspended at the time for drunk driving, lost control of the limousine and hit a tree in the median of Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Michigan. As a result, Konstantinov suffered from serious head injuries and paralysis, spending several weeks in a coma. Mnatsakanov also sustained significant head injuries and was paralyzed from the waist down; he died in August 20

In Their Own Story

The tragedy of June 13, 1997, stands as the defining moment of Konstantinov's life. Following a golf outing with the Stanley Cup, he and his companions hired Richard Gnida, whose license was suspended for drunk driving. The limousine hit a tree in Birmingham, Michigan, leaving Konstantinov paralyzed from the waist down after spending weeks in a coma. Yet, the Red Wings refused to let him fade away. When the team won the 1998 Stanley Cup, captain Steve Yzerman defied tradition by handing the Cup to Konstantinov first. The organization secured special dispensation from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to engrave his name on the trophy despite not playing that season. Throughout the playoffs, the team adopted the single-word catchphrase "Believe," and wore patches featuring the initials of Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov (who died in August 2024). His jersey number 16 has never been reissued; players like Pat Verbeek, Brett Hull, and Xavier Ouellet all switched numbers to avoid wearing it. A rock engraved with "Believe" kept his locker warm through the 1997–98 season.

Reader's Guide

Konstantinov has participated in six international tournaments for the Soviet Union: 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships, 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships, 1990 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 1991 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. During the final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships between Canada and the Soviet Union, a bench-clearing brawl known as the Punch-up in Piestany took place. During the fight Konstantinov leveled a head-butt that broke Greg Hawgood's nose. As a result of the brawl, both teams were disqualified from the tournament.

Did You Know?

• Konstantinov earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995–96 with a +60 rating, a mark later matched by Nikita Kucherov in 2018–19 and surpassed by Johnny Gaudreau's +64 in 2021–22.
• The limousine driver Richard Gnida had his license suspended at the time of the crash.