when asked about the cornerstone of his team....coaching icon Scotty Bowman replied without hesitation..." Vladimir Konstantinov...."
known as Vlad the Impaler.. for his thundering hits, he patrolled the wings blue line all of his career. in 1993-1994 he scored 3 shorthanded goals for the league lead among defencemen.
he earned the +/- award in 1995-1996 with an astonishing +60.....the highest rating in 20 years...second only to a guy named Gretzky who had a +70 in 1986-1987
won the Stanley Cup in 1996-1997 and was runner up for the Norris tropny, to Brian Leetch, as best defenceman
tragically it was his last season....on June 13 he was a passenger in a limousine that crashed...leaving him with serious head injury...
after the repeat Cup win in 1998, he was wheeled onto the ice to celebreate with his teammates.
the Wings sought and recieved special dispensation to have his name engraved on the Cup.
his #16 has not been officially retired but out of respect no other player has worn it...including Pat Verbeek and Brett Hull.
the Wings still keep a locker setup for him and he can be seen several times a year at Joe Louis Arena watching the Wings.