HOW MANY INFANTS MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. IT’S ONE OF THE STORIES I’M TRACKING IT MIGHT
HELP ME HANG CONSUMER HEADLINES.
25 YEARS AGO TODAY, AT THIS VERY
MOMENT, METRO DETROIT WAS RIDING
HIGH CELEBRATING THE RED WINGS
FIRST STANLEY CUP WIN IN OVER 40
YEARS. IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS
YESTERDAY IN A LOT OF WAYS AND
JUST A FEW HOURS AFTER THAT. IT
WOULD TURN TO TRAGEDY AFTER A
LIMO CARRYING VLADIMIR
CONSTANTINO, SLAVA FATIH SOFT
AND TIM MUSSER. SERGEI
MNATSAKANOV CRASHED ALONG
WOODWARD AVENUE IN BIRMINGHAM,
DEVIN SCILLIAN. HERE NOW. AS
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM REFLECT ON
THAT FAITHFUL SITUATION. IT’S
BEEN 25 YEARS, ISN’T IT RIGHT?
POSSIBLY CRUEL. THE LONG WAIT
FOR THE RETURN OF LORD STANLEY’S
CUP WAS FINALLY OVER. WE WERE
ALL WALKING ON AIR. AND THAT
INCREDIBLE FEELING SHOULD HAVE
LASTED ALL YEAR. IT LASTED ABOUT
SIX DAYS. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
TROPHY IN PRO SPORT TEAMS GO
THROUGH DRY SPELLS, OF COURSE,
BUT FOR THE 1997 DETROIT RED
WINGS, THE STANLEY CUP DROUGHT
WAS A SAHARA OF FRUSTRATION. IT
HAD BEEN 42 YEARS SINCE HOCKEY
TOWN HAD ONE, THE MOST FAMOUS
TROPHY OF ALL CAME TOGETHER. ONE
OF THE GREATEST COACHES IN THE
HISTORY OF SPORTS ON ELITE
CAPTAIN THE GOALIE WITH A CHIP
ON HIS SHOULDER AND GRIND LINE
THAT SEEMED MODELED ON THE CITY
OF DETROIT ITSELF, MOUTHY FOR A
PLAYER THAT WE WEREN’T EVEN
GOING TO KEEP. UM WE SIGNED JOY
ACTUALLY BARELY CAME IN AND WE
HAD A GOOD COMEBACK. THERE WAS
ONE OTHER EXTRAORDINARY
INGREDIENT, A LINEUP OF PLAYERS
FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.
THE PLATE, A BRAND OF KEEP AWAY
THAT MADE THE RUSSIAN FIVE MUST
SEE TV. THAT’S VERY NICE
COMPLIMENTS SO TO, UH, THE
RUSSIAN STYLE OF HIKING, BUT THE
SAME TIME YOU CAN. YOU CAN LOOK
AROUND IN THE LOCKER ROOM. YOU
HAVE SO MANY PLAYERS AND VERY
HIGH CALIBER. THAT BRAND OF
HOCKEY, YOU KNOW, TO THE NHL
INTO THE DETROIT RED WINGS. IT
WAS SPECIAL. I MEAN, SOME NIGHTS
WE HAD THE BEST SEAT IN THE
HOUSE FOR SOME OF THOSE GAMES,
YOU KNOW, JUST SITTING THERE AND
YOU’RE JUST LIKE WOW SERIES LEAD
AT HOME IN THE FINALS AGAINST
THE FLYERS. RED WINGS HAD TEASED
FANS WITH CLOSE CALLS BEFORE,
BUT IT FINALLY SEEMED REAL WHEN
GRINDER DARREN MCCARTY DELIVERED
A SPARKLING GOAL TURNED OUT TO
BE THE SERIES WINNER. MY LYING
TO THIS DAY ONE OF MY BEST
FRIENDS. YOU KNOW, I PROBABLY
ENJOY TALKING ABOUT THE GOAL AS
MUCH AS HE DOES, YOU KNOW, IT’S
JUST IT WAS AWESOME FOR HIM TO
DO IT. ABOVE HIS HEAD. HOCKEY
TOWN FELT LIKE THE CUP WAS
FINALLY BACK HOME. AND ON A
SUNSPLASH DAY WOODWARD AVENUE
AWASH IN RED AND WHITE, AS FAR
AS YOU COULD SEE, AND THE CITY
WAS READY FOR THE BEST SUMMER
EVER. IT WAS ALL PERFECT. UNTIL
IT WASN’T. JUST SIX DAYS AFTER
HOISTING THE CUP AFTER ONE LAST
TEAM CELEBRATION LIMOUSINE CRASH
ON WOODWARD AVENUE IN BIRMINGHAM
BROUGHT IT ALL TO AN ACTUAL
SCREECHING HALT. TRAGEDY OR YOU
GET REALLY DESCRIBE BECAUSE YOU
KNOW THAT’S I DON’T THINK IT’S A
FAIR AGO, SOMETIMES IN LIFE. TO
HAVE THINGS LIKE THAT, BECAUSE
OF THAT BLOODY AND SERGEI AND
SLAVA. YOU KNOW, THEY DID
EVERYTHING RIGHT? CERTAINLY THE
BIG CROWDS HAD MOVED FROM THE
JOE TO BEAUMONT HOSPITAL. THE
PROGNOSIS WAS BETTER FOR SLAVA
FETISOV. IN FACT HE WOULD PLAY
THE NEXT SEASON. BUT THINGS
SEEMED VERY DIRE FOR VLADIMIR
CONSTANTINE OFF AND TEAM SEWER.
SERGEI MAGNITSKY KEANNA OFF THE
ENTIRE CITY. LISTENED WHEN TEAM
CAPTAIN STEVE I ZERMAN CALLED
THEM TO PRAYER. WE WOULD ASK
EVERYONE’S SUPPORT AND
EVERYONE’S PRAYERS. UM
ORGANIZATION IS DEVASTATED. IF
HE WASN’T ALREADY. CONSTANTINO
HAVE SEEMED POISED TO BECOME THE
NHL’S BEST DEFENSEMAN. BUT AFTER
YEARS AND YEARS OF
REHABILITATION AND RECOVERY,
HE’S NOW ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF
WHAT MANY SEE AS A DISASTROUS
MISSTEP WITH NO FAULT INSURANCE
REFORM IN MICHIGAN. BARRING A
CHANGE. VLADY IS LOSING THE CARE
ON WHICH HE HAS RELIED THESE 25
YEARS. CONSTANTINO IT SEEMS SO
UNFAIR. SUCH IMMENSE TRIUMPH
MEETING WITH SUCH CRUSHING
TRAGEDY. CHRIS DRAPER SAYS THEY
ARE INSEPARABLE. HE CAN’T THINK
OF ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.
DE’VEON AND SERGEI ARE ALWAYS IN
IN OUR IN OUR THOUGHTS AND YOU
KNOW, ANYTIME YOU THINK ABOUT
THE STANLEY CUP AND WINNING IN
1997, YOU KNOW IT IS IT IS
EMOTIONAL BECAUSE YOU GET
EXCITED OF THE MEMORIES OF WHEN
WE WANT IT. BUT THEN ALSO, YOU
KNOW, LIKE WE ARE RIGHT NOW,
JUST TALKING ABOUT THE TRAGEDY
THAT THAT HAPPENED WAY TOO SOON
, AND IT’S SOMETHING LIKE I SAID
THAT WILL NEVER FORGET. AND WE
ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THOSE GUYS. I
THINK A LOT OF US FEEL THAT WAY.
YOU REALLY CAN’T THINK OF ONE
WITHOUT THE OTHER. BUT YOU KNOW,
THERE WAS SOMETHING STUNNING
THAT WAS STILL YET TO COME
DESPITE LOSING PERHAPS THE
LEAGUE’S BEST DEFENSEMAN,
DESPITE THE INJURIES TO SLAVA
FETISOV, DESPITE A CHANGE IN
GOAL FROM MIKE VERNON TO CHRIS
OSGOOD. THE WINGS WOULD GO ON TO
WIN THE CUP AGAIN AND AGAIN, DID
IT IN A FOUR GAME SWEEP THIS
TIME ON THE ROAD IN WASHINGTON.
I’M GLAD YOU MENTIONED HOW GOOD
HE WAS, TOO, BECAUSE IT ALWAYS
WOULD CROSS YOUR MIND. WOW CAN
YOU IMAGINE IF WE STILL HAD
VLADY FOLLOWING CREDIBLE? HE AND
LINDSTROM BACK THERE PATROLLING
THE SAME DEFENSE LINE REALLY
SOMETHING BUT 25 YEARS BURN,
RIGHT SHAKING. WHAT HAPPENED?