The discussion about retiring Sergei Fedorov’s No.91 resurfaced this week in a radio interview with Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland.
In a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket’s Jamie and Stoney show, Holland discussed the possible plan to retire Fedorov’s number at Little Caesars Arena.
"“Certainly he had a tremendous career and I think he was one of the best players in the history of the Red Wings franchise,” Holland said. “Certainly I think that Mrs. Ilitch, Chris Ilitch, Tom Wilson, Jim Devellano, myself, all the people that are involved probably have to have a conversation about Sergei.”"
This has been a discussion for a couple of years now as Fedorov was arguably one of the greatest players in franchise history. He was an instrumental part of the 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup winning teams.
In total, Fedorov spent 13 seasons with the Red Wings. He was drafted in 1989 by the organization and went on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 1994 season.
Despite his impressive record, he had multiple contract disputes with the organization. As a result, Fedorov left the Red Wings in 2003. He was not received well by fans in his return to Detroit the following season.
Fedorov is already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted as part of the Class of 2015.
Will it happen soon?
As we can see, Fedorov did not have the best of relationships with the front office, which has probably been one of the biggest factors in the decision, thus far, to not retire his number. Additionally, he did not finish his career with the Red Wings as he went on to play for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals.
Despite the differences with the organization, he was a great player in his own right and it would seem that is too hard to overlook that in this discussion. He played a huge role in the team’s success during the three Stanley Cup runs he was a part of and was one of the greatest skaters in the game. Perhaps will we see his number being retired sometime soon at Little Caesars Arena.
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