""Detroit is home, always been -- no matter where I was," he said. Fedorov left the city in 2003, signing with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Five years earlier, as a restricted free agent, he signed an offer sheet to play for the Carolina Hurricanes, but the Red Wings matched the offer and he stayed in Detroit. "Leaving Detroit when I did was a huge mistake," the 56-year-old Fedorov said during a pregame ceremony before Detroit hosted Carolina. "That is on me.""
"The dynamic, two-way center became the ninth player to have his jersey retired by the Red Wings, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman. The Red Wings drafted Fedorov in the fourth round in 1989 and helped him defect from the Soviet Union in 1990 while he was in country for the Goodwill Games. After Fedorov got off the team bus in Portland, Oregon, he saw Red Wings executive Jim Lites in the hotel lobby."
Sergei Fedorov's No. 91 jersey was retired by the Detroit Red Wings during a pregame ceremony. Fedorov called Detroit home and acknowledged leaving in 2003 as a mistake. The Red Wings drafted him in 1989 and helped him defect from the Soviet Union in 1990. Fedorov was part of the Russian Five and helped Detroit win Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He was a six-time All-Star, the first European to win the Hart Trophy in 1994, and finished his career with 483 goals and 1,179 points. He became the ninth player to have his jersey retired by the franchise.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]