Russian Five

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This article is about the ice hockey players. For other groups named The Russian Five, see The Mighty Handful.

"The Russian Five" was a unit of five Russian, ice hockey players of the Detroit Red Wings during the 1990s. The five skater group, Sergei Fedorov (C), Igor Larionov (RW), Vyacheslav Kozlov (LW), Vladimir Konstantinov (D), and Viacheslav Fetisov (D), played an instrumental role during the Red Wings' success, including helping to capture the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cups. They were often noted for their skill and ability on the ice together; it also happened that the Wings would go on to win the game after one of them scored. The five man unit emulated the style of the Soviet Red Army teams that dominated world and Olympic competition during the 1970's, 80's and early 90's with a combination of speed and puck control. The Russian Five would lose one of their members just days after the 1997 Stanley Cup championship, when Konstantinov became involved in a limousine accident, which ended his career and the career of injured team masseuse Sergei Mnatsakanov, although injuried in the same accident Viacheslav Fetisov returned the subsequent 1997-1998 season.

The team wore a special patch on their jerseys, which read "Believe," in both English and Russian. This motto helped inspire the team through the 1998 playoffs, resulting in the second of the Wings' back-to-back Stanley Cups.

After the Red Wings acquired Russian defenseman Dmitri Mironov at the 1998 NHL Trade Deadline, a less-successful "Russian Five II" was briefly formed by Fedorov, Larionov, Kozlov, Fetisov and Mironov.