168 replies to this topic

[freshy]

Pull it out of circulation. No to putting it in the rafters. To much acrimony with the way he left and with the Carolina situation to get the ultimate honor. We are not the Blues, Devils, or Rangers that retire players that played with them just because they were great. We are the Detroit Red Wings.

Man, I did love to watch Sergie. Like someone else said, he had to be your favorite player at some point if you were a Wings fan. Guy was a friggin thoroughbred that brought you out of your seat when he stepped onto the ice. Pavs reminds me of him in that respect.

[Crymson]

All this fricking debate about how he left for money...etc...let's revisit the situation.....December 2002, Holland offers Fedorov a 5 year $55M contract, Fedorov asks if they can wait until the end of the season because he is going through a divorce and in the process of hiring a new agent....fast forward to July 2003, Fedorov goes to Holland and wants the deal, Holland says the deal is off the table and now there is a 4 year deal for less money (I forgot the amount)...Fedorov wants the original deal....Holland says no deal, Anaheim offers Fedorov the same 4 year deal and off he went...He didn't leave for more money....he just wanted the offer he was offered in December... Fedorov #91, to the rafters!

Sigh, incorrect. Fedorov was never offered $55m. Not even close. As for what he eventually settled on: he was given $40m over five years by the Ducks, and chose that over an offer of $32m over four years from the Wings. That said, I haven't a clue why you think your story would make him look good, as you essentially said that he was ultimately given the same offer from the Wings and he was given by the Ducks but chose to go with the latter out of spite. That doesn't make him look like a standup guy.

I also see that you conveniently left out his holdout in the '97-'98 season.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

He's one of my all-time favorites, but given the holdout in '97-'98 and how he left in 2003, its better that it be taken out of circulation, but it shouldn't be placed in the rafters.

[The Axe]

Well, hes not on the hockey news best 100 of all time. Yzerman is #78. Tough argument we have here.

[13dangledangle]

Fedorov is the reason I have become a Red Wings fan. I used to watch him play for CSKA in Moscow and followed him to Detroit.
Great hockey player. No need to say more.

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Thats awesome! You got to witness a man get freedom in a harsh time, I only read about it after he was a Wing. I hope they make the movie someday.

[Hockeytown0001]

You must have misread my post.

The discussion was about why Sawchuk was in the rafters, despite not playing his whole career in Detroit. I said Sawchuk was one of the 5 best goalies ever. Sure, Fedorov was one of the best forwards in his era, but he's not even one of the 20 best forwards in history.

When Sergei was in his prime, can you really say that? I've asked several people who they would rather have in their prime, Fedorov or Datsyuk. 90% of them said Fedorov.

Well, hes not on the hockey news best 100 of all time. Yzerman is #78. Tough argument we have here.

That's surprising. Fedorov was a phenomenal talent, comparable to Pavel Bure.

[winger30]

my avatar says which way im leaning however the way he left the organization left a sour taste in everyones mouths he was still MY alltime fav player I got into the wings when he and the russian five were big I miss the russian 5.

[The Axe]

Yah, i thought so too. I would put him in my top 25 forwards of all time for sure. Yzerman too. Both of those guys were awesome for their own different reasons.

[martinezsvsu]

if you watched the wings in the 90s its impossible to say no

[The Axe]

Exactly. The guy was pure gold for the wings for 10+ years.

[irishock]

How was it Illitch's fault that Sergei rejected 5/50?

[Hockeytown0001]

How was it Illitch's fault that Sergei rejected 5/50?

It wasn't. Which, as I said in the OP, was one of my reasons for being bitter after he left.

[Konnan511]

One of the best Wings of all-time. He deserves his number in the rafters. A rare rare talent that brought us 3 Stanley Cups. He's the reason I love and follow the Wings.

[number9]

If your talking both ends of the ice, Neither of those two players were even close to Federov............

Go to wikipedia and read about Fedorov. If Scotty Bowman, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Steve Yzerman all say he was one of the best, thats good enough for me.

Wanna know how I know you know nothing about hockey?

[Datsyukian_Deke_13]

No.
sorry, but when you look at who is hanging in the rafters at the Joe, I just don't see how he belongs...

Edited by Datsyukian_Deke_13, 29 July 2012 - 08:52 AM.

[xtrememachine1]

I'm not sure I understand why the contract situation with Carolina is such a big deal to people. He held out, but it didn't really hurt us. We made the playoffs, he came back, played great in the playoffs and we won another Cup. The way he left in 2003 wasn't great, but it wasn't so bad that it could erase or taint everything he had done for the Wings for the 11 years. He was a HUGE part of those championship teams in 97,98 and 2002, I don't see how you can not be leaning towards retiring his number. Do we win those three Cups without him on our team? Do have all that success we enjoyed during his career without him in our lineup? I really doubt it.

Maybe people were too young to remember or simply don't remember that time very well, but Fedorov was 90's Wings hockey. Maybe its because he was more flashy than others or because he was that good, but Fedorov was always the first name to come up when talking about the Wings back then.

[sibiriak]

Absolutely not.... I don't think of Fedorov, when I am looking up at the following players' jerseys:

Yzerman, Sawchuk, Delvecchio, Lindsay, Abel, Howe.... and soon Lidstrom.

He doesn't fit with that group of esteemed players. If he had stayed with the club and finished his career out with some sort of respect and dignity, then possibly then he would be considered, but he ended up leaving for money.

As far as Dats and Z go.... they still have several years until they retire, so the jury is still out, but if they continue on the path they have already set, I would say there is a 60/40 chance.

IIRC, Ted Lindsay didn't leave on the best of terms either. In fact, he didn't want to have anything to do with the Wings for decades after retirement and reconciled only relatively recently.
So if Fedorov's jersey deserves to hang on the rafters otherwise, the way he left shouldn't have to be a disqualifying factor.

[Number19]

it should be but I doubt it will be. I wish he stayed and retired a Wing.

Everyone mentioning accomplishments Sergei compares very favorably with Abel and Lindsey.

Edited by Number19, 29 July 2012 - 10:12 AM.

[dragonballgtz]

No rafter for him. Twice he showed he wanted to do his own thing.

LA Times:

Fedorov, who has helped carry the Russian men's hockey team to the semifinals of the Olympic tournament with a goal and five points in four games, said recently he wants the Red Wings to trade him. He would not say what he will do if the Red Wings match the Carolina offer. "So far I'm still just at the Olympic Games and I'm thinking about that," he said. "I think when I get there I will cross that bridge. . . . I told Ken Holland [the Red Wings' general manager] that I can play somewhere else."

Edited by dragonballgtz, 29 July 2012 - 10:10 AM.

[Opie]

People forget when they bring up Lindsey and others leaving the team what shape the team's ownership was in, as well as the state of the players union.
Feds left for his own reasons, I don't begrudge him that.

The Norris family had done some real damage to this team when these players left and their leaving was more about the team treating them like crap, then them wanting to go elsewhere.

Feds took way too many shifts/games off, and left for his reasons. Which I said I am fine with, but the rafters at the Joe, and wherever they end up, are for an exclusive club of Team first guys who embodied what it meant to be a wing.

Draper deserves his number retired more than Feds!

Feds was a phenomenal talent, all around beast, but the Wings only retire a very select few, the Perfect Human and THE Captain were the first retired in a long time and I think we may see another gap again.

Dats and Z are great, but they are not Lids and Stevie Y.