HockeyCrazy3033 168 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 (edited) Interesting articles from the Freep. Going back to the limo accident with Vladdy and Sergei. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPORTS05 I remember it like it was yesterday. Absolutely horrible. Edited June 11, 2007 by HockeyCrazy3033 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayUp88 1 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 I can't believe it was ten years ago. I don't get the freep so i didn't read that until just now. Drew and Mike talked about this for almost a good half hour today. It still feels crazy to talk about it. Such a sad day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VladyIBELIEVE16 257 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 i miss vladdy God has he come leaps and bounds though.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 Yesterday I watched the 97 and 98 championship DVD's, and it was the worst deja vu. I remember every single day just watching the papers or any other form of media just hoping/expecting Vladdy to wake up. It was so horrible and disheartening to see how long it actually took. Cheers Vladdy! You're missed and not forgotten. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vladinator 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 Even after 10 years, I still want to pound that limo driver... Vladdy was the best. I've often wondered how many more cups we might have won without this incident.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OsGOD 3 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 Ahoy, i actually can not remember whar Me was. Me am guessin' at home in bed. Me do remember goin' t' the candle light vigual for about 2 hours on our way home from watchin' the Vipers claim the Turner Cup Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingsfan75 2 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 It was around this time 10 years ago that I first learned of the accident. I remember the panic I felt and the saddness that set in knowing that he may die from the injuries he sustained. I remember how pissed off I was in the weeks that followed as the details came out about the driver. Overall, it was just a sad time. I'm just glad that everyone involved survived and have made new lives for themselves. Number 16 will forever be missed on the ice but it makes me smile when I see him walking and talking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bad Vlad Forever 1 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 Yeah, I remember it all too well. If you can imagine a whole city of people heartroken, it's pretty horrible. BAD VLAD FOREVER!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted June 11, 2007 (edited) I was ten years old and on my way to play in a baseball game when I heard the news. Even that young, it still had a big impact on me at the time. Winning it all again in 1998 and having Vladdy there was probably the most bittersweet moment possible. I'm just so glad that Vladdy has made as much progress as he has. God Bless #16! Edited June 11, 2007 by GoWings1905 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 We wouldve won every cup through 97-03 if we had Vladdy. And I truly beleive that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,964 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 We wouldve won every cup through 97-03 if we had Vladdy. And I truly beleive that ...well, I doubt it, because as we have seen in the last few years, the NHL controls that! ...anyhow, I wonder how many 'Bettman Cities" fans would spend every waking night, camped outside of a hospital to show their love and support for their Sports Legend? Not many south of Detroit. I'd give it to the fans in Canada and the Northeast US, MAYBE Minnesota, but anywhere else, forget it! (low blow to Anaheim) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WingsZR2 1 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 GD we miss you Vlady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Izzy24 44 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 Sad story, but they've made signifcant progress considering the extent of their injuries, so at least there's something positive to focus on. I can't believe it's been 10 years, I remember watching SportsCenter (the clip that's on the '98 championship DVD) and being completely in shock. I hope they can both continue to improve their quality of life, and remain connected to the Wings organization. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swayze 81 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 I remember I was staying the night at a friends house, up late of course, and my friends dad comes in and tells us the bad news. I remember just having this really bad feeling in the bottom of my stomach. The odd thing is that for my family Friday the 13th's are usually lucky days (i.e. - my brother and grandfather were both born on Friday the 13th), but this was the only bad thing that's ever happened on one that I can remember. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRockit 0 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 I also can't remember where I heard it from that night-- probably a Detroit news station. I remember being frustrated and upset because I couldn't find any more information about it that night. I DO vividly remember having to break the news to my little boy about it the next morning (hated to start his day like that, but I knew his best buds at school would tell him if I didn't). Vladdie was his favorite player, and he'd never lost anyone close to him before, let alone an idol. Damn, was that a hard thing to tell him. He didn't cry, he seemed really confused, "But he's so tough, Mom, he'll be all right," and hopeful that, "Mom, the doctors will fix him, won't they?" and "Remember what he said at the thing (the rally at the Joe, which I'd taped for him), "I'll be back!"... *tear break here* He'd worn his #16 jersey to school the day before and had planned on wearing his Yzerman T shirt that day, but he quietly fished his Vladdie jersey out of the laundry basket and put it on for school. It does feel like it happened just yesterday, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted June 12, 2007 Both members of my all-time favorite defense pairing had their careers ended by drunk driving. Vladdie and Steve Chiasson, who were paired together for two seasons in the early 90s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
North Guy 0 Report post Posted June 13, 2007 Ten years later, fallout from crash lingers in Detroit Stanley Cup celebration turned to tragedy a decade ago today Dave Waddell, Windsor Star Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 The sharp ringing of his phone 10 years ago today remains startlingly clear in the mind of Detroit Red Wings senior vice-president Jimmy Devellano. It was 10 p.m. on a fine Friday evening, June 13, 1997, and Devellano was relaxing in his apartment, still basking in the glow of the Wings' first Stanley Cup in 42 years, when a call came from a reporter asking him if he'd heard about players being injured in a limousine crash in suburban Detroit. Within 15 minutes, he had reached Detroit owner Mike Ilitch and was on his way to hospital where injured defencemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Slava Fetisov, along with massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov, had been taken. "It was a tragedy in every way, coming only four or five days after we won the Cup," Devellano said. "The memory of that first Cup is forever tied to that incident. The players had organized one final party before everyone scattered. The sad thing is they had done the right thing by arranging for limousines." A decade later, the effects of that limousine jumping a curb and slamming into a tree continue to ripple through the lives of the three men injured, their families and the organization. Today, Fetisov, who suffered minor injuries that hospitalized him for a week, is the most fortunate of the three. The great Russian defenceman is minister of sport in his native land where he and former teammate Igor Larionov have taken a particular interest in helping retired Russian players in distress. Konstantinov, who frequently attends Wings games as a guest of Ilitch, remains in the Detroit area and requires around-the-clock nursing care. Devellano said Konstantinov has been inspirational in the progress he's made. "I'm happy to report he has made strides," Devellano said. "He's able to walk on his own with a walker, so he isn't bound to a wheelchair. You can hold short conversations with him and he certainly understands. "He isn't bitter about what happened. There's none of the poor-me stuff. I don't think I could have taken it as well as he has." The 53-year-old Mnatsakanov hasn't been quite as visible around Detroit as Konstantinov, but is often seen attending Wings games. The team has helped ease the financial burden on the men's families by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up a trust fund. "We haven't forgotten them," Devellano said. The impact of the crash wasn't just limited to the individual men. The loss of Konstantinov in his prime triggered a series of decisions in the past decade by Wings GM Ken Holland. "We've been applying bandages trying to fix the loss of Vladdie for years," Holland said. "It's because of that I signed Uwe Krupp, which was a disastrous free-agent signing. Then I made the trade for Chris Chelios when that didn't work out." The trade for Mathieu Schneider in 2003 was another blue-line quick fix that cost the Wings Sean Avery, Max Kuznetsov as well as a first-round entry draft pick (2003) and a second-rounder ('04). Holland said even the drafting of Jiri Fischer in 1998 was an attempt to replace Konstantinov's size and grit. Fischer, of course, later proved to have a heart ailment that has effectively ended his NHL career. "We often wonder what this team would've been like if we'd had Vladdie all this time," Holland said. "He and Nick (Lidstrom) in their primes all these years would've given us some defence and we would've kept all those draft picks. "We've been scrambling for years because of that accident." CanWest News Service Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwfan007 18 Report post Posted June 13, 2007 yeah, that was a bad day. It gave us something to play for in '98 and we sure won it for vladdy and sergei Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRockit 0 Report post Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=43917 Edited June 13, 2007 by RedRockit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted June 13, 2007 June 13, 2002 was a pretty special day too... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shanny14fan4ever 0 Report post Posted June 13, 2007 10 years already? Seems like it wasn't so long ago I will never forget that night... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest DetroitIan Report post Posted June 13, 2007 Wow...I cant believe a decade has gone by since then. I will never forget the day I found out. I had just got out of the pool and it was a beautiful summer day. And I was just crushed. I just still cant believe 10 years went by. Time goes by so fast... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Ruff 47 Report post Posted June 14, 2007 TSN has an article of their own: 10 years on, Konstantinov still recovering Vladimir Konstantinov shuffles his feet slowly with the help of a walker. It's a bittersweet accomplishment for the former Detroit defenceman, who almost lost his life in a limousine crash a decade go. ''It's hard to explain how it feels when you see Vladdy now,'' former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman said Wednesday, the 10-year anniversary of the accident. ''He is alive, first of all. But we all know what kind of athlete and personality he was. ''That night is still pretty vivid and all the guys think about it regularly, especially when they see Vladdy.'' Six days after the star defenceman helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup in 1997, their first in 42 years, a night of celebration was shaken with a sobering crash. Konstantinov, teammate Slava Fetisov and masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov got into a limo driven by Richard Gnida, whose license had been revoked because of repeated violations, after a team party at a golf course. Travelling about 80 km/h through the suburb of Birmingham shortly before dusk, the limo veered across several lanes, jumped a curb and slammed into a tree. The brakes were never applied, police said. Fetisov escaped with relatively minor injuries and was able to help the Red Wings repeat as champions the next season. Konstantinov, who was comatose for more than five weeks following the wreck, and Mnatsakanov both came away with brain injuries. ''The long-term prognosis for this is impossible to tell,'' Dr. James Robbins, a trauma surgeon at William Beaumont Hospital, said on June 14, 1997. Gnida ended up spending time in jail. Mnatsakanov is still in a wheelchair. Konstantinov has made slow, steady progress over the years. ''I'm thrilled Vladdy can get around with a walker. That pleases me to no end,'' Red Wings senior vice president Jimmy Devellano said. ''His mind is still pretty sharp, too. He understands when you talk to him and he's able to engage you in light conversation. ''We take all of this as a bit of a blessing because obviously, it could've been worse.'' The Red Wings have contributed more than US$1 million to the Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov families' foundations, assisting both with their full-time medical needs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hillbillywingsfan 792 Report post Posted June 14, 2007 TSN our thoughts and prayers are still with you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
