Red Wings to retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 jersey in 2026

After years of petitions, hashtags, and requests from fans, the Detroit Red Wings will finally retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 jersey as part of their centennial celebration in the 2025-26 season.

Fedorov, now 55, spent the first 13 seasons of his NHL career with the Red Wings after defecting from the Soviet Union in 1990. The 6’2″ center, who took occasional shifts at defense, won three Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002) and was widely recognized as one of the league’s most dominant players during his tenure in Detroit.

“We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” Red Wings CEO Chris Ilitch said in a statement on Tuesday. “His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor.”

The Red Wings will raise Fedorov’s number to the rafters at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit prior to their home game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 12, 2026.

91 TO THE RAFTERS.https://t.co/EzoLOkDqWz pic.twitter.com/NOdxptplNv

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 19, 2025

A third-round pick (No. 74 overall) of the Red Wings in 1989, Fedorov made an immediate impact upon arriving in Detroit and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 1994, becoming the first European-trained player to do so. He also won the Frank J. Selke Award as the league’s best defensive forward in 1994 and 1996, and was voted by his peers as the winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Trophy) as the league’s most outstanding player the same year he won the Hart.

A leading member of Detroit’s “Russian Five” alongside Igor Larionov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov, and Vladimir Konstantinov, Fedorov led the Red Wings in scoring during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997, ultimately helping them break a 42-year championship drought as they swept the Philadelphia Flyers. The following year, Fedorov drew the ire of fans (and executives) in Detroit by signing an offer sheet with the Hurricanes, which Detroit matched, resulting in him being paid a still-record $28 million in the 1997-98 season. It paid off, as Fedorov scored 10 goals in 20 playoff games and the Red Wings repeated as champions.

One of the most popular players in the league during his time in Detroit, Fedorov made white hockey skates famous through his unprecedented partnership with Nike, which had never signed a non-North American spokesman before him. He played in six NHL All-Star Games between 1992 and 2003, becoming one of the few forwards to win the “Hardest Shot” competition with an 101.5 mph effort in 2002. He also represented Russia at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the 2008 and 2010 World Championships, and the 1998, 2002, and 2010 Winter Olympics.

Fedorov’s tenure in Detroit ended acrimoniously, as he turned down more money from the Red Wings to join the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim — who had just beaten Detroit in the playoffs — in the 2003 offseason. He spent one full season in Anaheim, becoming the first Russian player to reach 1,000 points during his time there, before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets just five games into the 2005-06 campaign.

After parts of three seasons in Columbus, Fedorov capped off his NHL career by joining Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at the 2008 trade deadline. He played the rest of 2007-08 and all of 2008-09 in D.C. before returning to Russia for three seasons with KHL club Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Finally, after playing two more games with CSKA Moscow at the 2013 Spengler Cup, Fedorov retired as a player at age 44. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility, and has served as both head coach and general manager of CSKA in his retirement.

In 1,248 career NHL games with the Red Wings, Mighty Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Capitals, Fedorov amassed 483 goals and 1,179 points. He added 52 goals and 176 points in 183 playoff contests, and also scored three goals and 14 points in 16 Olympic matches. He’ll become the ninth Red Wings player to have his number retired by the team, joining Terry Sawchuk (1), Red Kelly (4), Nicklas Lidstrom (5), Ted Lindsay (7), Gordie Howe (9), Alex Delvecchio (10), Sid Abel (12), and Steve Yzerman (19).