Top 10 Sergei Fedorov moments as a Red Wing
As one of the greatest players in NHL history is set to be honored by the team he starred with, it’s time to look back at some of the greatest moments in the career of Sergei Fedorov.
In a long-overdue motion, the Detroit Red Wings are set to retire Fedorov’s No. 91 on Jan. 12, 2026, over 22 years after his final game with the team. The Hockey Hall of Famer defected from the Soviet Union to join the Original Six franchise in 1990, and immediately became one of the team’s biggest stars.
Alongside fellow Hall of Famers Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom, the Russian speedster achieved both individual and team success in his 13 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, winning numerous trophies.
Let’s look back at the top moments in Fedorov’s career in Hockeytown.
10. Bursting Onto the Scene
No one really knew what to expect when Fedorov got into a car outside of a hotel in Portland, Ore. in July 1990, officially defecting from the USSR to join the Red Wings. The team had taken a gamble in picking the young star in the fourth round of the 1989 draft. However, he wasted little time in making a solid first impression.
In 1990-91, he scored 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points in 77 games, finishing second on the team in scoring behind Yzerman. Fedorov also finished second in Calder Trophy voting behind Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Ed Belfour.
9. Who Needs Two Hands?
The 2001-02 Red Wings were the greatest assembly of players in the modern era. The team possessed 10 Hall of Famers, with the legend Scotty Bowman behind the bench. However, Detroit fell behind 2-0 to the eight-seeded Vancouver Canucks in the opening round of the playoffs. After clawing back to even the series, Fedorov arguably had his best game of the postseason in Game 5, picking up three points in a 4-0 win. His lone goal in the game came on this ridiculous one-handed deflection.
The goal just highlights how talented Fedorov was. Even while skating at top speed, he was able to simply flick his wrist and bat the puck into the back of the net.
Fedorov would finish second on the Wings in scoring in the playoffs, helping the team capture its third Stanley Cup in six years.
8. Showing Up Super Mario
Following that championship run, the Red Wings were without captain Steve Yzerman, who underwent knee surgery, which kept him out for most of the 2002-03 regular season. That pushed Fedorov back to becoming the team’s star on a team that was hopeful to win a second straight Cup. On Oct. 25, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town with their superstar, Mario Lemieux. In the height of the hook-and-grab era, Fedorov was able to flex his offensive and defensive muscles on the same night.
Fedorov shadowed No. 66 all game long, and though Mario finished with a pair of assists, Fedorov forced the Hall of Famer to a -2 rating, thanks to Fedorov potting a hat trick in a 7-3 beating.
7. Outworking The Great One
Lemieux wasn’t the only legend that Fedorov picked on in his day.
In Game 7 of the 1996 playoffs against the St. Louis Blues, scoreless with minutes to go in regulation, Wayne Gretzky had what surely looked like an odd-man rush. However, Fedorov back-checked his tail off, catching up to No. 99, stealing the puck seemingly with ease.
The Wings went onto win the game, 1-0, in double overtime.
Fedorov was comfortable playing on the defensive side of the puck. Whenever the Wings were bitten by the injury bug on the back end, no. 91 was willing to step in and play defense. His play away from the puck was crucial to winning three Stanley Cups during his time in Hockeytown, and it also led to Fedorov winning the Selke Trophy, as the NHL’s best defensive forward, twice.
6. The Offer Sheet
This particular moment is what many believe led to the Red Wings’ reluctance to retire Fedorov’s number. The team and the then-restricted free agent were in the midst of a contract dispute at the beginning of the 1997-98 season, which carried all the way into February. Enter Peter Karmanos, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, who had a long beef with late Red Wings owner Mike Illitch, with Karmanos’ Domino’s Pizza rivaling Illitch’s Little Caesars. Karmanos and the Canes offered Fedorov a six-year contract worth a total of $38 million, with multiple bonuses included.
The Red Wings caved, signing the disgruntled star, ending a 59-game holdout. The move paid off as Fedorov scored 17 points in the 21 games he appeared in during the regular season, with another 10 goals and 20 points in the postseason as Detroit won its second straight Stanley Cup. Fedorov led all skaters in goals, finishing second in points behind Yzerman.
5. The First Cup
The Red Wings went without a championship for 42 years. Leading up to the 1996-97 season, Detroit had come close to ending that drought, losing to the New Jersey Devils in the 1995 final before infamously losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final the following year.
After scoring 107 points during the Red Wings’ record-breaking 1995-96 campaign, Fedorov’s production took a step back, posting 63 points in 74 games. However, he picked his game up in the playoffs, posting 20 points in 20 games, scoring three goals in the final against the Philadelphia Flyers, including what ended up being the game-winner in Game 1.
4. Getting by Colorado
In that run to the Cup in 1997, the Wings had to go through the Avalanche in the conference final. After the events on March 26 of that season, the rematch was one of the most highly anticipated events in recent years.
Fedorov had an eventful, yet painful time getting through the series. After scoring a huge power play goal in a Game 2 victory in Denver, he suffered a severe rib injury in the following game that required delicate injections to get him to play. He re-aggravated the injury in Game 6, needing more injections and a firm talking-to from fellow Russian Vladimir Konstantinov to play on. Fedorov scored the clinching goal, sending the Wings to the final.
Even when playing through immense pain against the Presidents’ Trophy winners, Fedorov scored three goals and seven points in the series.
3. THAT Goal Against Washington
In that 1998 run, the Red Wings had to go through the Cinderella Washington Capitals in the final. While Detroit left Joe Louis Arena with a 2-0 lead in the series, they only beat the Caps by a goal in each game. The third game in America’s capital was going down to the wire again. With just a few minutes to go in the third, Fedorov scooped up the puck on the right wing, cutting back on Washington defender Calle Johansson and sniping Olaf Kolzig to put the Wings in front.
The goal led to a famous call from ESPN’s Gary Thorne. He played on Fedorov’s contract situation, saying, “That’s why you pay him a billion dollars!”
It was one of the sleekest plays in the series, as Fedorov showcased his speed, his hands, and a shot that made him a formidable offensive weapon. His final goal ever scored in the NHL, coincidentally with the Caps, came 11 years later in the playoffs, in a very similar fashion, against the New York Rangers.
2. Chasing Gretzky, MVP
As Fedorov was growing into an exciting player to watch, many wondered whether he could be the leader of a team, consistently playing the supporting role to Yzerman. However, the younger Fedorov was tested in the 1993-94 season, as the Red Wings captain missed 26 games due to injury. No. 91 stepped into the spotlight and carried Detroit for most of the season.
Fedorov was in a heated race with Gretzky for the scoring title, though the Los Angeles Kings weren’t overly good that season. Fedorov ended up setting career highs in goals (56) and points (120), ultimately finishing second behind Gretzky. However, Fedorov won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, earning the Ted Lindsay Award (then known as the Lester B. Pearson) as well as his first of two Selke Trophies.
1. Five Goals vs. Washington
Of all the accolades that Fedorov brought home during his time wearing the winged wheel, there was one night when everything clicked for him and his closest teammates.
On Dec. 26, 1996, the Red Wings hosted the Capitals (you see a trend of Fedorov with/against the Caps, eh?) and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey. Fedorov went off, scoring all five of Detroit’s goals in a thrilling 5-4 overtime win.
It was the second-most goals scored by a Red Wing in a single game, second only to Syd Howe’s six-goal outing 52 years earlier.
While the performance was as much of an accomplishment for Fedorov, it highlighted the power of the Russian 5 – Fedorov, Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Vyacheslav Fetisov. Konstantinov picked up four assists in the win. Larionov had a pair of helpers, while Fetisov had an assist as well. The group that first came together during the 1995-96 season ultimately played essential roles in the team’s championship runs in the following years.
SPONSORED BY bet365