Viacheslav Fetisov

Lore & Background

Fetisov debuted for CSKA Moscow's junior team at sixteen and joined the senior team in 1978–79, recording 29 points in 29 games as a rookie. He was named USSR Player of the Year in 1982 and again in 1985–86. He expressed a desire to play in the NHL and submitted a request to Soviet officials, but Soviet players defecting to North America was strictly discouraged. He recalled the Soviet Minister of Defence giving him an ultimatum to either apologize or be sent to Siberia. At age 31, helped by the Soviets' glasnost policy, he led a group of eight Soviet players into the NHL. Soviet officials agreed to allow players to play in the NHL as long as they continued to compete internationally, but 99% of their NHL salaries would go to the Soviet government, which Fetisov later lambasted as using players like slaves for profit.

Fetisov debuted with the New Jersey Devils in 1989–90 and recorded eight goals and 42 points, both NHL career-highs. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in April 1995 and helped them to the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by his former team, the Devils. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Detroit in 1997 and 1998, and took the Stanley Cup to Moscow after the 1997 championship, the trophy's first appearance in Russia. After retiring, he became assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils, helping the team to two Stanley Cup finals and one victory. He also came out of retirement at age 51 to play one game for CSKA Moscow in 2009.

Reader's Guide

Fetisov's significance lies in his instrumental role in breaking the barrier that had prevented Soviet players from leaving the Soviet Union to join the NHL. His actions not only resulted in a number of top Soviet players joining the NHL but encouraged many of the best players from all over Europe to go to North America. Considered one of the best defencemen of all time, he was voted as one of six players to the IIHF's Centennial All-Star Team and inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005. His Stanley Cup wins, Olympic gold medals, and World Championship wins make him a member of the sport's prestigious Triple Gold Club. He and teammate Igor Larionov are among only eight players to win the 'Grand Slam of Ice Hockey', winning the Stanley Cup, World Ice Hockey Championships, Olympic gold, World Junior Championship, and Canada/World Cup Championship. After his playing career, he became a politician and sports official, serving as Russia's Minister of Sport from 2002 to 2008, a member of the Federation Council, founder and chairman of the KHL's board of directors, and chair of the WADA Athletes Committee. He was also a key member of the bidding committee that presented the Sochi 2014 proposal to the IOC.

Did You Know?

• Fetisov was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1978 but re-entered the 1983 draft and was selected by the New Jersey Devils.
• An asteroid discovered in 1981 was named 8806 Fetisov after him.

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