The Far Too Short Career of Vladimir Konstantinov

I did a video on Vladdie three years ago, but felt that I needed more depth in a video on his career.
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[@travisl2306]

Loved when the Red Wings brought him out for their Cup celly the next season.

[@edalder2000]

As a Capitals fan, that was the only positive of that whole series for me.

[@andrewborody]

Bawled my eyes out watching that live. Super emotional for a Wings fan, after how everything happened.

[@ScarecrOmega]

His hit on C.Lemieux is one of the most satisfying hits all time.

[@Mansini77]

I think Claude got some frequent flyer miles on that hit. Vladdy sent him airborne

[@jdomed0880]

Just looked it up, thanks for bringing this up! 👍

[@deusvult6920]

What a sweet hit. Went and pulled it up. I forgot all about it. Dropped him on his head.

[@neutralsportsfan17]

The year is 2100 and Red Wings fans still have the name Claude Lemieux stuck in their head 🤣.

[@RushAnthem69]

@@neutralsportsfan17 Flying and turtling!

[@dustyb58]

EA's NHL21 won't let you give 16 to anyone on Detroit. They list 6 and 16 as retired in the game though they don't have those in the rafters.

[@dustyb58]

@Lesevesel you should get the book "100 things red wings fans should know and do before they die" - it's all in there

[@Belandriel]

@@dustyb58 Thanks... will buy this book. Although I certainly can't do all those things as I'm from Germany : (

[@jonathangarmuth8975]

If you have not watched "The Russian 5".... go watch it!

[@FutureZek]

Gonna go rewatch it now.

[@kdog350]

Yeah man, an absolutely amazing film. I saw it without knowing the story and it was very good.

[@mattlaubhan4991]

Met him 3 months before the accident and got him to autograph a card for me. Even got him to to mock “check” me. Super nice.

[@achildr1]

I remember the night it happened. I was 11. Some news outlets said he died. It was crazy. I was an absolute die hard fan at that time...from 95-2005...Konstantinos played and looked like he was 6’3”. Tough as nails. My 2nd NHL game was Fedorov’s 5 goal game vs the Capitals...I remover Vladdy’s drop pass to Sergei like it was yesterday. Dude was a total boss. People forget, had the things not happened to Vladdy/Fischer, the Wings would have had the most dominant defensive core in the league from 97-08.

[@speedyg5]

He was a crazy stud. As a blues fan I hated him but respected him as a player.

[@draheim90]

I didn’t respect Pronger.

[@saltywingsandavsfan]

Wings legend. We won that cup for him in 98

[@GodWeenSatan]

How could you be a wings and avs fan? They hated each other back in the 90's, biggest rivalry ever!!

[@sacredalien8011]

@@GodWeenSatan and produced some of the best hockey 😍. I’m a Canucks fan but watching that rivalry growing up was magical. I think I leaned more towards Colorado, I preferred their jerseys and really liked Forsberg and Sakic. But like Shannon has said, you can be a fan of whoever you want

[@sacredalien8011]

Shannon who is a Bruins and Canucks fan* lol

[@jimjohnson9808]

The #16 isn't retired but out of respect for Vladdy no one wears it.

[@jasonhubert2398]

He was a beast!

[@dansonofchris]

As a life long Red Wings fan, thank you for making this video. ❤️

[@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username]

Could you do a Career of Pavol Demitra video? One of my favourites growing up, and a tragic tale indeed

[@ukrainian.g.o.a.t.566]

He was one of my favorites wore 78 his rookie number and my birth year. Been asking for this video for well into 2.5 years and no dice.. I think I'm just going to donate something to see if he gets encouraged to do one

[@jimjohnson9808]

Love Vladdy. I believe he would have been a Hall A Famer. You certainly had to keep your head up with Vladdy around.

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

One of my favorite players from back then. I got to watch his entire time in Detroit. The Russian 5 were unreal to watch. I knew back then I was seeing something special. I watched night in and night out because I didn't want to miss anything. I was watching 60+ Red Wing games a year. My girlfriend broke up with me because she couldn't get me to do anything if the Red Wings were playing.

[@KenMagee]

I was so happy to have witnessed him playing with the Wings. The years of the Russian 5 will go down in history. Vladdy was a monster on the ice.

[@stevestalock3200]

I have nothing but respect for Konstantinov.

[@harleydave5391]

Thanks for the video. Definitely not a Wings fan but Vlad was one player I loved to watch. He was an old school Dman for sure. Agree his game was fantastic. Can’t think of any fan of any team who wouldn’t want Vlad on their team. Watched “The Russian Five”, remember how fierce a leader he was in the room, great motivator especially for the Russians.

[@seven_curses]

With these retro jerseys picking '98 for the Red Wings, adidas NEEDS to add the BELIEVE patch to the jersey they wore that year for Vlad and Sergei!

[@gretzkey66]

THG: Konstantinov's story has made me cry. Nobody will ever know how amazing it was to be a Detroit Red Wings fan from '94 - '08, they just won't. The '02 team was the greatest team ever assembled, forget about Gretzky and the Oilers. Forget em.

[@permafrost2064]

Vladdy is a legend in Detroit. I will never forget that year they won the cup for the first time in 40+ years. It used to be fun to be a Wings fan rofl

[@jimjohnson9808]

Shannon as a long time Wings fan for about 6 decades thanks for that.video.

[@96FiRE96]

Nice summary Shannon! Vladi was an absolute beast for the wings! In that 97 cup win he told the Russian players they had to play a hard game and not be weak like they were portrayed by the media. If I remember correctly, Fedorov got injured in that final round or conf finals and Vladi went into the locker room and yelled at him to suck it up and get his ass back out on the ice. Fedorov came back out and was a beast after that, played injured and was a big reason the wings won that round/cup. I as a wings fan got so much flack over the Russians in the mid 90's, but after that 97 cup win and the 98 win they gained a new respect across the league. Vladi was a very large reason why, shame his career was cut short in his prime. They also called him "The Vladinator!" Thanks for bringing back some great memories!

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

That thundering open-ice hit on Dale Hawerchuk in the 1997 Finals though...

[@KMS6121]

I just went to a Wings game last. month with my dad and they showed Vladdy on thee big screen. Having 15,000 hockey fans chant "Vladdy" over and over again is something I won't forget any time soon

[@concrete5]

Love Vladdy!! I’ve been a wings fan since the mid eighties and still have his jersey that I got in about 1995...

[@scubbyjoe9953]

Instant thumbs up when I saw the title

[@Ratzy1614]

THG easily the best hockey youtube channel. Knows his history, knows current players and his stuff. Wouldnt surpise me if Shan ever moved into a front office position

[@massivecumshot]

The most tears I've ever shed in my life was at the MCI Center in DC when Stevie handed the cup to Vladdie. All those years of work, sacrifice, dreams and goals GONE in an instant. Life can be cruel, short and capricious. Treasure every moment.

[@ajmpatriot4899]

Thank you for doing this Shannon! Vlady was an incredible hockey player, so damn gritty! A favorite in Detroit for sure! Very interesting how Detroit got him, Federov and Kozlov out of the Soviet Union !! I saw it on KZbin a few months back, real cloak and dagger stuff! Great video!!👍

[@iCoolaxe]

Could you maybe do a career video on Brian Rafalski? He had quite an interesting career imo.

[@hotdogwater7037]

as a blackhawks fan, i even still get choked up remembering yzerman handing him the cup. i also love that he still has a locker in the red wings locker room. very classy, detroit

[@midimusicforever]

Awesome player!

[@jacquesroussel3268]

Konstantinov was indeed skilled offensively. In fact, he began his pro career as a center for Red Army Moscow. One of his most incredible and overlooked accomplishments, was the fact he ruptured an achilles tendon playing tennis during the off-season between the 1995-96 and 96-97 seasons. Ruptured achilles were basically career ending injuries in those days. Not only did Vladdy return to playing at a high level, helping to lead Detroit to its first Cup in decades -but he returned quickly, only missing a few games at the beginning of 96-97. A true athlete and professional, indeed. Also, it is commonly said that he was a very gentle and affable man.

[@The_Frozen_1]

I loved watching Vladdy play. When the Limo wreck happened, and we found out Vladdy's playing day were over, Red Wings nation wept. We wept again when we saw the Red Wings repeat and Steve Yzerman put The Stanley Cup in his lap straight away and the whole team skated a lap with him. Red Wings nation loves Vladimir Konstantinov. There is a reason why #16 was taken out of Circulation in Detroit.

[@Nick-iz9zo]

one of my all time favorite players. I still get teary eyed thinking about the accident

[@c71score]

Hall of Fame player in my book. So fun to watch.

[@superman6210]

Love Vladdy!!

[@Cyndi7021]

Great video! I just watched The Russian Five for the umpteenth time and was hoping for a video on Vlad. 👍🏻

[@DJ33970]

I'm not a Wings fan but Vladdy is definitely one of my fav Dmen of all time!

[@joshburton5724]

He was my favorite player as a kid, I was 11 when they won the 97 cup and was devastated after the accident, as was the entire metro detroit area

[@LivinLifeLifeless]

His offensive numbers don't tell the whole story. He could deke. He could shoot, and he definitely could pass. Seeing him on a breakaway you would never be able to tell he was a defensively minded d-man.

[@ScarecrOmega]

He was such an integral part of the team which made them successful. Wings' fans know he would have made the HOF.

[@shanebutler8735]

Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@GurmanMax]

Thank you for doing this Shannon!!! RESPECT!!!

[@seanelgie]

The guys coming over around the Iron Curtain era are crazy stories man, just hard to wrap your head around what things were like back then.

[@muvs32pap]

When I think back to my late teens/early 20s while Vlad played it seems like he was there for so much longer. I chalk that up to be given his due by sports pundits and fans in general. I was a Caps fan and Caps were built on a hulking , skilled D but Konstantinov showed that to not be the soul way to go to find grit on the blue line. Awesome vid, he deserves to be remembered and introduced to those too young to have seen him play this game.

[@shaunchappell784]

What was under rated about Vlady's game, was his anticipation, skating, passing and surprisingly soft hands. I loved watching him play, but I can't bring myself to watch his highlights now, it is such a shame his career was cut short.

[@nevilleneville6518]

Yeah he was a lot more mobile than people realise, and he scored some great finishes

[@shaunchappell784]

@@nevilleneville6518 he was great 1 on 1 against the goalie....silky backhand!!!

[@nevilleneville6518]

@@shaunchappell784 the fact that we can even talk about him going 1v1 shows that there was much more to this "defensive defenceman"

[@pumpkinking5174]

Lindros hit on him was still one of the hardest I've ever seen.

[@ScarecrOmega]

Just watched it, he got right back up when a lot of players would have been laying face down on the ice for several minutes.

[@pumpkinking5174]

@@ScarecrOmega And fell down again.

[@ScarecrOmega]

@@pumpkinking5174 he took a knee, obviously seeing some stars after that hard hit

[@dustyb58]

and back then it was "WHAT A HIT" because everyone had a hard on for Lindros, but today that's a charge, intent to injure, 10 games gone.

[@justinhenderson4901]

Thanks for this! LGRW!

[@swedreamhack5308]

Absolute force, Det was something special during this time. Tragic what happened, he had many years left in the NHL.

[@joshuagrant3902]

Please do more videos like this, I really enjoyed

[@Mineav]

If the NHL would've had a Langway trophy, as it should've (and should), Vladdy would've won a couple before the accident, and a few more after had it not have happened. Incredible Dman.

[@unklesalty3732]

Two great memories of Vladdie: Scoring the OT winner against the Blackhawks in the ‘95 playoffs. Standing over the broken corpse of Dale Hawerchuk after an open ice hit during the ‘97 Finals.

[@scummydummy]

Vids like this are why I watch every last vid u put out. Much props to you, every vid is so detailed and just overall awesome. Vlady was our guy what a fkin player. He looks great now. That 2nd cup win, I don't think there was a dry eye in the city of Detroit or maybe even the entire hockey community

[@ryanh1544]

Ugh this was so tragic... Was a big Wings fan in the 90s, this guy was tough as nails. And watching Yzerman hand him the cup for a victory lap in the wheelchair, gets ya right in the feelings...

[@Aut0KAD]

Vladimir Konstantinov also had one of the longest name in the NHL. Amazing player, I was / am a huge fan of him

[@Silentkilarz]

Vladdy is still beloved in Detroit. My fondest memory of my decades of watching the wings is that ‘98 cup moment. I’ve been to a lot of games since that limo crash and the applause he gets when they show he’s in the arena is amazing. #Believe #WinItForVladdy

[@subraxas]

I am NOT quite sure about this, but I think that, during the Soviet era, their league counted only FIRST assists, so the overall numbers are not as impressive as they should be. Especially when one checks on the Green Unit's stats (Krutov, Larionov, Makarov - Fetisov, Kasatonov).

[@portmanub6311]

Great player. Also a reason Lidstrom was underrated for so long

[@primozvilfan2361]

According to Igor Larionov, in '86 juniors Vladimir played on the wing. Brandon Shanahan has also mentioned that after all passes between russian 5, in the end it was Konstantinov who put the puck in the net. Darius Kasparaitis is also 5 ft 11...

[@ZomBiE519_]

Vladdie the Impaler was my favorite player for the Wings, his accident was devastating. 😞😞

[@13DatsyukDangle13]

I get emotional whenever I watch a video about Vladdy. I met him once when I was working at a Meijer in the Detroit area. His nurse was there to take care of him.

[@Ohhelmno]

Best hitter I’ve ever seen use his lower leverage. Absolute master of the hip check. Check out his highlights and almost every hit he lays is a modified hip check at initial contact, with a little body to finish rising up through the hit.

[@pynnball]

Great video. I didn’t know any of this. Good job!

[@josephstuhr6608]

Konstantinov was a beast Always gave Lindros fits

[@trentthurow5696]

I wonder how accurate a comparison of the type of player Konstantinov was to what Seider can be. I think they play very similar styles I wonder what anyone else thinks.

[@96FiRE96]

I never thought about that before, but Seider definitely has that physical presence on the ice. I think the Wings would be incredibly lucky to get a player like Vladi again!

[@apatheticbystanders]

Great job on the video brought tear to my eyes

[@BrianSmith-ph6je]

One of my all-time favorite Wings ever!

[@peterdragon6367]

He woulda been another hall of famer for Detroit. Such a tragedy his career was cut short

[@shylock5151]

I loved watching Vlad hunt the red line for long passes. Devastating open ice hitter, and nasty in the corners. Tragic accident ended his career, but tears flowing when Stevie passed him the cup and pushed him on the ice.

[@hairybushman9747]

Omg thanks for making this video Shannon!

[@jleif7736]

I have a cool, sad story about this man. My dad was really good friends with Chris Osgood. Still is. I go to his house every year for his 4th of July party. He's a good guy, and I have a heaps of signed hockey equipment of old red wings players. But on the night of the crash, Ozzie invited my dad and my mom, sister, and myself downtown to the bar where they were a lot of the guys were hanging out and partying with the cup, McCarty poured Coca Cola into the cup and gave me a straw to drink out of it. I have a picture of it. But as we were leaving me and my sister took a picture outside of the bar, where the limo was parked, and we got a photo the night of the crash, of the exact limo, that was in the accident. I remember I was distraught when I heard about the accident. It was such a blow to me as a young kid. I remember being an emotional wreck for years after this. I am thankful and fortunate to have met Vladdy, and have an old hockey jersey of mine signed by him. I always thought Vladdy could have been a better Defender for the WIngs than Lidstrom had he not gotten his brain injury.

[@Mansini77]

He was definitely a guy you wanted on your fantasy team if your league scored +/-

[@ethanlindley8327]

“Up he goes, over he goes, and the crowd, you think they like it?” the call of the best hit ever made

[@stevekendra8983]

I dont have an all time favorite Detroit player. In my time of watching hockey in the 90's all those players are up there, however, Vladdy is definitely in the top 3. Loved his style of hockey, but how the tragedy brought together the team and fans, how they rallied for him was such a sight to behold. Even today if Vladdy goes to a game and is announced over the PA, he gets a monstrous ovation. He'll always be a hero here.

[@doctorx3]

I need a Vladinator shirt, ASAP.

[@BigSho0ter]

I’ve been looking for a Konstantinov jersey for over a year. Can’t afford anything over $100 which sucks. Haven’t found him, or a Probert. They’re all $180-$250

[@polynesiangrooves7112]

In some ways this I thought was the best defensive defenseman ever ... exhilarating to watch ... I loved this guy and bone Salming more than other people did

[@johnny1121]

I love the history and career videos, don’t know why these don’t get more views :( I appreciate all the hard work you put into these video!

[@arsenal1124]

Shannon, can u do a piece on Scott Stevens, and how he would fit in today’s NHL.. thanks for the content..

[@planojag595]

Thanks for this Shannon! Vladdie was incredible for the Wings and it’s so tragic what senselessly happened to Vlad and Sergei.

[@jeremy745]

PLEASE DO A SERGEI FEDEROV !!

[@tyrichbets]

Still the best Cup handoff ever. None other comes close to me due to the context.

[@andrewjmschroeder]

I've got two journeyman video ideas for you that might be interesting: Bernie Federko and Tomas Vokoun. I enjoy your hard work!

[@doaftheloaf]

bernie federko played for st louis every year but one. he's a journeyman the way modano, alfredsson, howe, and lundqvist were journeymen. learn what words mean.

[@lukedaduke4466]

I remember going to JLA with my dad and holding his hand. Those steps have to be one of my fondest memories. Letting go of his hand racing to the top and yelling I WON! before the game we walked through Detroit. We took pictures of The Spirit of Detroit with the Wings Jersey draped on top. We walked passed old Tiger stadium. That year Detroit won the cup and I was ecstatic. Then the limo accident happened. I remember getting into the old Bronco my dad had and thinking "why are we leaving?". To the accident we went for prayers. God bless you Vladdy BELIEVE.

[@GRChrzak]

I loved that for many years after that accident, they had his locker full of gear, game-ready, keeping it warm for Vladdy to return. That provided plenty of inspiration not only for the team to win, but for him to keep living in spite of his condition.

[@strategic1710]

They hated each other, but damn, Vlady, federov, sakic, and Forsberg were 4 of the best stars ever to watch. They don’t have the name recognition of Gretzky, Orr, Howe, and Crosby, but an argument can be made just as good. I honestly thought he was like 6’2”.

[@DucksUpDogsDownCatsSlide]

You have suggested a Rod Langway reward for top defensive NHL Defenseman, why not a Vladimir Konstantinov award for top defensive NHL Defenseman instead?

[@danb239]

Love your videos man, great topics, coming up with new ideas all the time. As a wings fan I think you should do a video on the 89 draft and how it was the best of all time, it really was crazy who they got as late as they did. The 25 year playoff streak would be a great one as well. Thanks for the content!

[@daftpunked4800]

fun fact :nicklas lidstrom and konstantinov both scored the first goal of their career on the same night! in the same period in fact....

[@Stu668]

Not quite as high profile as Vladdy, but I'd be interested in seeing you do a video on Jiri Fischer, another Red Wings defenseman whose career was tragically cut short.

[@realhavocc]

As a wings fan, I could only imagine how crazy a line of Kronner-Vladdy would be to play against

[@Nhamp2000]

You would have had a lot of opposing players suddenly having "nagging " injuries that could use another day off.

[@commandershepard1838]

Imagine just losing a norris caliber defensemen. Not from trade or free agency, but because of an irresponsible limo driver.

[@6Snaus]

Not irresponsible, criminal.

[@theRickLC]

Go Wings! Thanks for this... fond memories but, sad ending in this case. Pardon me if this is already out there in your library ... suggested topic; your study habits and resources. Great channel.

[@djjames8122]

If Vladdy doesn't get paralyzed and was still able to play, DRW probably win 2 more Stanley Cups btwn 99 and 2004. Hell, they probably win it again in '99 for a 3peat. But that injury created a massive hole in their D, and unfortunately highly promising Dman Jiri Fisher also had to retire due to cardiac issues just a couple yrs later. Of course, Chelios came over to bolster the D, but he was on the backside of his career.

[@oopopp]

I'd like to think in some alternate universe Vladimir Konstantinov never had the accident, had a full career, and enjoying retirement hunting and fishing in the Russian Wilderness...

[@AwesomeZach]

Wow, I also have the book The Russian Five.

[@kakke87]

Vladdy ❤

[@newschooler720]

You should do a video on ray emery

[@jimjohnson9808]

Vladdy was definitely no softie.

[@eitanostrovsky6335]

Very interesting video. Thank you for that