1996 Playoffs - Vladimir Konstantinov - Claude Lemieux hit

[@MGSoldier]

My God... It is beautiful, like art.

[@nz1229]

like a day at the ballet

[@18merlin14]

A work of art done by a master. No one can come close fill those skates. Vladdie was the one to watch back in his day.

[@darrylfurlong3181]

He was good sad😢

[@rygu79]

Textbook hipcheck...beauty.

[@torontoBluejays87]

Best open ice hitter in the history of the NHL. I can only imagine how miserable it must have been to be an opposing forward entering the Wing's zone with Vladdy looking at you.

[@Jasheon]

markwest1987 Scott Stevens says hi

[@torontoBluejays87]

Don't get me wrong, Stevens was a great hitter but to compare him to Vlad is just silly.

[@Jasheon]

markwest1987 we agree to disagree then, I think Stevens is the best hitter in NHL history. His huge hits are just devastating

[@torontoBluejays87]

Look up Vlad's hit on Hawerchuk in the Stanley cup finals against the Flyers.

[@Jasheon]

markwest1987 I've seen them, I know he's a great hitter but Stevens in my opinion is the best ever. So many huge hits, karyia, Carolina series, lindros, domi...the list goes on and on

[@streetLAkings]

one of my favorite Red Wings of all time

[@Average--pg5my]

Even the landing was spectacular lmao

[@ront769]

The Russian judge gave him top marks and a Gold Medal to Vladdy!

[@zimbalatti]

I dont know about you guys, But I miss the shit outta this Rivalry

[@merc340sr]

Among the toughest series I've seen in in the last 20 years!

[@milanSK1980]

This is such a technically PERFECT hit!! I cant get enogh of it.

[@ogrebattle22763]

Konstantinov was quite a player it's a shame what happened to him...

[@sparrow-we7ip]

the man was 30 at the time of the incident. at least 8-10 years left of hockey in him

[@josephcebelinski2070]

@@sparrow-we7ip Imagine he and lidstrom on the blueline together. No need for the wings to trade for Chelios.

[@Bubba-Ho]

Rivalry only lasted a few years, but it was the best in sports history. Crazy thing is it wasn't just the fights, both teams brought out the best in each other. They always delivered edge of your seat games, and I'm a Hawks fan. We need another rivalry like this to bring hockey back where it belongs. Problem is I think Bettman has softened and wouldn't let it happen.

[@kyokogodai-ir6hy]

What a glorious body check!! A HOF career ended too soon.

[@TheTokinbudZ]

Sick hipcheck that i remember well from the BEAST that was Konstantinov.

[@kkeelan]

I love how Claude got back up like nothing happened and even put a little ice on the goalie. What a fuck. XD One has to admit, though, that was a beautiful hip check, though. Wow.

[@Zen53GT]

Yeah, Vladdy! I miss seeing him on the ice. That was a nice hit.

[@danielpeters5361]

Vladinator!

[@babybluesnowden]

thank you, as a wings fan this shows you are a class person. #16 was amazing with his timing, lining players up and taking them off the puck! he was a master. what a terrible way to end a career. scotty bowman coached the blues many moons ago to 3 cup finals in their first four years if im not mis-taken! i miss the old norris division, it was brute force hockey!

[@mrbiggs36]

Hey! Wait a minute! Where's the scrum after the play?? Oh wait, this was from an era where players could actually take a hit....

[@raeannglaspy4644]

+mrbiggs36 Players can still take a hit, it's just when they start fighting the refs intervene and piss all of us hockey fans off.

[@SombraPiloto]

+mrbiggs36 ...and because the Bruins weren't playing.

[@davidemmons899]

That's not what he's saying. He's saying the players could take a hit back then without taking it personally and dropping their gloves.

[@ghytgb]

There are no scrums when Russians are on the ice.

[@christophergalagotis9527]

You don't see hip checks like this anymore. Awesome

[@ajendrisak]

10/10 beautiful hit

[@fbargus]

It's amazing - such a big hit, and no fight.

[@YouDummy]

As beautiful as a hit can be.

[@cygnusx-1862]

Good clean hit, and I'm an avs fan.

[@meltz87]

I love watching"the turtle" on his back!!

[@willispacey]

You forgot to add the 6 past Roy in game 6 in 2002 aswell. Beautiful!

[@tcrane6]

He was a beast!

[@stanleyjohnson1783]

Todd Crane he was a fucking wrecking ball

[@IrishHeroMan]

He makes it look so easy :O

[@kyokogodai-ir6hy]

For him, at this point, it was.

[@10Raven10]

Thats classy good sir you have earned my respect!!!

[@CArchivist]

Sigh, can you imagine if we had more 10 more years of the Vladinator!

[@bradddtheimpaler]

Just watching that hit gets me a little teary-eyed it's so beautiful...

[@Epica124]

Man I wish he was still playing. I mean right there is shows just how great he was.

[@doctorx3]

That was beautiful. Just another reason why I love and miss Vlad. He could have had a GREAT career.

[@xletercesx]

Agree with you completely, good clean hits these days always lead to one of those two outcomes

[@M3GTR]

that was brutal! Awesome..

[@chiifen]

Man.. If someone threw a hit like that in todays NHL there would be four guys jumping Konstantinov right there....

[@ragnarjonsson1122]

dumps him like a sack of potatoes. Beautiful hit

[@MichaelBorland-i1w]

My favorite player on that team.

[@nickk678]

i miss konstantinov :(

[@guuuuuury]

just watching this to get pumped for tonights game, GO WINGS!

[@BloggerMusicMan]

Man, that was fantastic. Nothing dirty, nothing premeditated, not out looking for blood, just took out the man. Fantastic hockey.

[@ARod016]

Believe. You are missed dearly Vladdy, but your legacy has been made. Thanks for the memories.

[@bwayinlan]

I love the fact that in hockey a spectacular landing is Claude Lemiux landing on his head and almost fatally breaking his neck.

[@johngalt2506]

So you're a badminton fan I take it? Fucking pussy.

[@olney28]

both of them are my fav players

[@michaelrushlow9544]

Perfect face plant! Cheap shot legend deserved it!

[@MonTube2006]

T'es né con de même ou bien c'est à force de supporter tes Dead Wings ?

[@pijodi]

One of the nicest Tackle i Ever seen .

[@mikemcmillan6758]

Great hit and a great call by Bob Cole and Harry Neale.

[@northpoint43m]

blackhawks guy here,..and i remember watching these two teams goin nuts at each other in the nineties,..good rivalry,...(and yeah, i cheered for the 'Lanche' ) my question is, and hopefully some of you know,...did lemieux come over to colorado WITH ROY?....i think i remenber him in a canadiens uni,..but not sure....thanks for posting these vids,..i could watch em forever!

[@MrWingnut1997]

Vladimir, you are always number one defenseman! If we could vote you to the Hall Of Fame!

[@marinesnip]

Dam I miss him on the ice. GO WINGS!!!!

[@BRGeauxBlue95]

as a wings fan, i now have much respect for you after making that statement. i dont care what team you go for!

[@donnz123456789]

gotta love vlade!

[@TrueSkillest]

That is an AWESOME hit! Damn! On a side note, it's really funny to hit your friends like this when you're playing in no-hitting leagues. Totally worth the penalty lol.

[@bradddtheimpaler]

Perfect. It is outrageous, like in the Kronwall hit (perfectly clean) that ko'd Havlat, his teammates came over and attacked Kronwall, in the process almost getting their own team mates face stepped on with skates. It's like they don't even think.

[@21DieselBoy21]

As an Avs fan that hip check was fucking sick! I pray everyday that this rivalry be as good as it once was.

[@Donutz0r]

Yeah, because something that happened 13 years ago directly correlates with how poorly Colorado is doing now. Great post!

[@greektim19]

best open ice check in hockey!!!

[@andrewyoung2796]

Beautiful

[@Diogenes-ty9yy]

IMO, Lemieux was a dirty SOB and that check could not have happened to a more deserving player. Konstantinov was one GREAT player, may the Almighty rest his soul.

[@judge0912]

He is still alive, but unfortunately will never be the same.

[@keith7630]

Vlady is still alive. It was the team masseuse, Sergei Mnatsakanov who was injured in the same car accident who died recently.

[@pringals]

Konstantinov was the one of the best all time hip-checkers. ... as a Blues fan, I despised him... but as a hockey fan, I applaud him.

[@420DrDre]

One of the best Hip checkers to ever play the game. Period

[@evilTaker90V2]

Lemieux was already on the air when Vladdy hit him,beautiful and clean hit

[@hkyplaya015]

I miss those days. Hockey rivalries need to make a comeback.

[@Spls32]

That was probably the best body check I ever saw.

[@Icewarrior101]

those were the best years of the rivalry by far

[@pitchingwedge1]

Amazing play

[@WarmothGuitarist]

I agree... I honestly thought it was going to get dirty, but it didn't. The Avs did what they could, with what they had...and played a clean series. If Sakic and Forsberg decide to retire, they'll have some rebuilding to do, but they'll be back.

[@uk0019]

man, Vlad was a mean guy. What an intimidating player. I cannot wait until this series starts tomorrow. A little renewel of the old rivalry, Go Wings.

[@Category5PHL]

Vladimir Konstantinov was such a good hockey player, its a shame his career was cut short.

[@MattLeighton703]

i like the goalie spray at the end

[@dw05zh]

I agree playoff success is the only thing that matters and if you look at it that way then Detroit and New Jersey are the top two teams with 3 cups each in just over the past decade

[@adusman]

As a Wings fan, I cannot say that we would have won 2 more Cups had Konstantinov never been hurt. It was his injury that forced Lidstrom to become the best defenseman of this generation. Before that tragic incident, he was merely very good. Bowman himself has stated this injury is what made St. Nick make the jump to truly great.

[@Yarnall541]

Konstantinov was an awesome physical presence.

[@calvino16]

i wear my konstantinov jersey with pride i've been #16 ever since i've learned how to skate it's amazing how many compliments i get when i wear it to games at the Joe

[@lvskull]

beauty

[@bradddtheimpaler]

@guitarbutt Even aside from the story behind it, that is the single best hit I have ever seen.

[@WarmothGuitarist]

I can't lie and say I don't cheer with every goal, but the agony of a 2-2 game is what makes a series. Remeber man, all it takes is ONE goal and ONE win to swing the momentum the other way, and change the series outcome. There are times when I want to change the channel, but the last time I did that, Detroit came back, and I missed it. I have never seen momentum swings as big as they are these days...I think because the goon antics are out, and playing the puck is in.

[@DK-jy4jb]

Vlad was awesome -- there's no telling how many Norris trophies he would have won. He was +60 that season and played like a madman.

[@primetime99]

Avs Wings of the 1990's was awesome

[@KSherwoodOps]

ahh memories.

[@njdevils17]

that hit was beautiful.

[@GSJ61191]

DAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNN! WHAT A HIT!

[@19HuskyWolf70]

My all time favorite wings player,just imagine what could of been..he would still be playing for Detroit and maybe even 1 or 2 more cups.

[@kwan1282]

I can only dream about what the last 11 years would have been like if we still had Vlad. H.O.F. for sure

[@WarmothGuitarist]

I really was hoping for the bouts of the past, but it's just not there anymore. Two different teams than 6-12 years ago. I completely respect Sakic, and I hope he continues to play. He's pure class, and an HOFer all he way. If he does decide to retire, #19 will no longer be worn for the Avs. Colorado will proudly hang that #19 in the Pepsi Center. Two great #19's, and two great captains can polish their rings, and Conn Smythes, while reflecting on two great careers, and one great rivalry.

[@deltaecho1]

I agree with that. I'm not a wings fan or a avs fan either. Same with the senators. Once you have new guys inserted in, the dynamics change, especially in a high tempo playoff game.

[@meiringen]

What a hit!

[@robertmastroianni]

Textbook check! CL went through the air with the greatest of ease!

[@GrassValleyGreg]

I'm an Avs fan but that hit is without a doubt EPIC

[@Slow-wipe]

Beauty

[@Jguthro]

@uptownboyz100 Well I am sorry to hear about the knee. I had something happen during a game. I was in front of our next covering their forward, and then their center came through the slot, steped on a stck, and tripped into the side of my right knee. Snapped the MCL off the bone. Healed back fast because the sliverof bone broke, not the tendon. Does your knee still bother you?

[@llk517]

claude lemieux's hit on chris draper was one of the greatest hits in nhl history

[@WarmothGuitarist]

Ah... I see what you're saying. I can agree to an extent. Though, Detroit has gotten much better than they were last year (you'll remember alot of dump-and-chase and no forchecking), they still need more grit. However...Col have to watch for Drake, Downey, McCarty, Draper, and especially Kronwall (who has a little Vlady spirit in him). I do hope they both play rough like the old days...but keep it a clean series. It's going to be awesome for the fans of both teams...as it always has.

[@ctcole77]

HASTA LA VISTA BABY The Vladiator hits hard!

[@ARod016]

god, I miss Vladie. Beautiful hit

[@penguin8838]

What a man he was!!!

[@BuzzsawtheHedgehog]

Gee I didn't know Claude Lemieux watched this video 14 times.

[@d4v1dfor3v3r]

Believe me, my younger brother loves those hits. Claude Lebad had it coming

[@madmike81]

Oh man....you have to miss those days.

[@badmotorfinger9195]

Konstantinov was incredible. Kronwall is good, but he has nothing on Konstantinov. One of several highlight real textbook body checks.

[@roimari]

Kromwall was a dirty asshole. Only hitting guys head down near the blue line..

[@NjMurphy245]

@ryesram wow ... your right .. in the replay in slow-mo it does look like it, i didnt see that

[@ReginaldForman]

Shadytnu24......great breakdown. It is very true that cats like vlad the imp don't exist anymore. At the time I never realized I was watching him as the last of his breed of player. He got hit and hit in the old fashion.

[@sparkosity]

Oh I do miss Konstantinov. The days of the Russian Five were the best!