Vladimir Konstantinov

The Red Wings' Vladimir Konstantinov was second in Norris Trophy balloting in 1997, the year he raised the Stanley Cup.

(AP file photo)

DETROIT - When Kris Draper sees Vladimir Konstantinov he gives his former Detroit Red Wings teammate a big hug and peeks inside his blazer to check the label.

"I always kid around with him because Vladdy was a guy who absolutely loved his Versace suits," Draper said. "He had the brightest of bright colors, the wildest of wild ties. I don't know what his pajamas were, but I'm sure they were Versace."

Warm moments that serve as a reminder of what once was.

The best of times suddenly became the worst of times for the Red Wings two decades ago when celebration was cut short by a devastating event.

Just six days after ending a 42-year Stanley Cup championship drought, the Red Wings experienced one of the darkest days in franchise history when Konstantinov, a star defenseman, and team massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov suffered debilitating head injuries in a limousine accident that also injured defenseman Slava Fetisov.

It was 20 years ago today and the sad memories are almost as vivid to members of the organization now as they were on that Friday the 13th.

"You try to do everything the right way and really it's not fair that something like that had to happen," Draper said. "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. It's something that should never have happened. It wasn't fair. You could see how it hit the city as well."

The Red Wings' 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Joe Louis Arena completed a four-game sweep, earning the club its first Cup since 1955 and launching several days of festive celebration. More than one million turned out for a parade downtown. Fans packed The Joe for a rally. Team owners Mike and Marian Ilitch had the team at their home for a reception.

One last team function remained, a golf outing at the Orchards in Washington Township followed by a team dinner, before players were to go their separate ways for the summer.

"They (team's Russians) weren't big golfers, they came because they wanted to be a part of the team, and they drove around on the cart and hung out," Kirk Maltby said. "They decided to leave a little early to go to (the restaurant).

"We were being responsible, we got a whole rack of limousines to make sure they were there for all the guys to get to and from the golf course to the restaurant.

As players were preparing to leave the course, Steve Yzerman received a call.

"At first, I don't think anyone realized how serious it was," Maltby said. "When Stevie addressed us, he didn't have a lot of details.

"A group of guys went to the hospital; a group of guys went to (Chris) Osgood's house and sat around for the word. We had the news on. They were showing the accident. That's when we first saw the picture of the car and it's like, 'Oh, my God! How did the driver even survive?' "

The vehicle Konstantinov, Mnatsakanov and Fetisov were riding in crossed three lanes of traffic on Woodward Ave. in Birmingham, jumped the curb and slammed into a tree. The driver, Richard Gnida, whose license had been suspended at the time for drunk driving, told police he had blacked out. The Red Wings personnel were not wearing seat belts.

"That was basically the ended of the celebration," Larry Murphy said. "We accomplished what we accomplished, but in terms of enjoying it, it was over."

Coach Scotty Bowman stayed in Detroit for 3-4 days after the Cup win before driving home to Buffalo. He received a call about the accident and drove back to Detroit.

"That was a tough two weeks after a great celebration," Bowman said. "It's tough all the time."

The 30-year-old Konstantinov spent several weeks in a coma. Initially confined to a wheelchair, he eventually was able to get around with a walker. His movement and speech are limited, but he is said to be aware and can converse.

Mnatsakanov also spent some time in a coma and had a more difficult recovery. He was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Fetisov escaped with broken ribs and a punctured lung but played the following season before retiring in 1998.

"It was devastating as a group to have that happen, 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 gotten up until that point," Maltby said. "And for it to be taken away in such an unnecessary accident was very unfortunate."

Fierce competitor on threshold of greatness

The Red Wings selected Konstantinov with the 221st pick in the 11th round of their amazing 1989 draft that also landed them Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov.

Konstantinov arrived from Russia in 1991 and proceeded to shatter the myth about Europeans being "soft.'' He was fearless despite his modest build (5-foot-11, 190). He soon became one of the most feared hitters in the NHL. He was widely despised by opponents because of his reckless style and loved by Detroit fans who dubbed him "The Vladinator" and "Vlad the Impaler.''

"Pound for pound, there was nobody that hit harder or with as much force as Vladdy," Murphy said. "He wasn't a guy that dropped the gloves, but there wasn't a fiercer competitor.

"The opposition was always concerned when he was on the ice and you match that with the fact he was a talented player -- he moved the puck well, was responsible, wasn't a guy who goes end-to-end but when he got the puck he could make that first pass. You combine that with the force and you had quite a guy. I didn't realize the effect he had until I played with him day in, day out."

Maltby, a master agitator who played with an edge, said Konstantinov was one of the most competitive people he has ever seen.

"When you were the opponent, you better keep your head up because it didn't matter who you were, stature-wise, everyone was in play," Maltby said.

Konstantinov's best season was 1996-97, when he collected a career-high 38 points and finishing second to Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman.

"He was on the threshold of being an all-star defenseman for sure," Bowman said.

"There's no doubt that Vladdy was evolving into one of the top defensemen and probably one of the most feared defensemen in the National Hockey League," Draper said. "He was just turning himself into a unique hockey player, the way he could skate, create offense.

"Pound for pound there wasn't a player that could hit as hard as him. It was unreal. Vladdy's compete was off the charts. He wanted to win so bad, he played on the edge. He was putting himself in a conversation for probably the next 6-8 years as a top defenseman in the National Hockey League. It was tragic what happened to a defenseman that was going to go on to win Norris Trophies."

"Believe" was rallying cry

The Red Wings dedicated the1997-98 season to Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov. They wore patches on their jerseys with "Believe'' in English and Russian, above the initials VK and SM.

After the Red Wings beat Washington in Game 4 of the 1998 finals at the MCI Center, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Cup to Yzerman. He immediately handed it to Konstantinov, who was seated at center ice in his wheelchair. The team huddled around its fallen teammate. He was wheeled around the ice with the Cup in his lap. It was one of the more poignant scenes in Cup celebration history.

Konstantinov still lives in metro Detroit and continues to require 24-hour care. He attends most home games, sitting in the owners' suite. He sometimes sits on the bench during pregame warmups, exchanging high-fives with players as they step off the ice. His dressing room stall remained unoccupied for several years after the accident. Nobody has since worn his No. 16.

"I'm so very happy he's been well-cared for and has the ability to communicate pretty good and is able to walk with the help of a walker," Red Wings senior vice president Jimmy Devellano said. "Considering what happened, I find that pretty pleasing.

"I've had conversations with him, not in-depth. He understands you and can say a few things back. There is no 'woe is me.' He seems surprisingly upbeat, seems to have accepted what's happened. I take comfort in that. Vladdy has been able to have a little bit of quality of life."

Konstantinov is divorced from wife, Irina, who lives in Florida. She could not be reached for comment. His daughter, Anastasia, lives in New Jersey.

Bowman and former teammates last saw Konstantinov, now 50, during the JLA farewell ceremony on April 9.

"I thought he looked pretty good," Bowman said. "He's kept himself in as good a shape as he could. You're talking 20 years ago. It's a long time. He's still a young man. It's always good to see him. He was such a warrior on the ice. He was really something."

Konstantinov has kept active with a growing career as an artist. He has had framed and signed pieces on display at Gallery U and Boutique in Royal Oak. The collection included paintings, colored drawings and three-dimensional constructions, many featuring animals.

All proceeds from the exhibition were donated to the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, a non-profit organization that provides education, advocacy, research opportunities, support and support groups to brain injury victims, their families and the people who serve them.