| Sergei Fedorov | |
|---|---|
Fedorov during his tenure with the Washington Capitals |
|
| Born | December 13, 1969 Pskov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb) |
| Position | Centre (sometimes winger and defenceman) |
| Shoots | Left |
| KHL team Former teams |
Metallurg Magnitogorsk Washington Capitals Columbus Blue Jackets Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Detroit Red Wings CSKA Moscow Dinamo Minsk |
| National team | Soviet Union Russia |
| NHL Draft | 74th overall, 1989 Detroit Red Wings |
| Playing career | 1986–present |
Sergei Viktorovich Fedorov (Russian: Сергей Викторович Фёдоров; born December 13, 1969) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward and occasional defenceman.[1] He currently serves as the captain of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk squad in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Fedorov gained fame in the NHL for his unique style of play with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won 3 Stanley Cups before tenures with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Columbus Blue Jackets, and lastly the Washington Capitals, playing in over 1,200 NHL contests. On October 25, 2008, Fedorov passed Alexander Mogilny to set a record for most goals by a Russian-born NHL player, scoring his 473rd goal. He was also the first European-trained player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1993–94 NHL season, and is considered to be one of the best playoff performers in NHL history.[2][3][4]
Fedorov was considered one of the best players in the world in the 1990s leading into early 2000s (decade).[5] He recently played for Team Russia in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He is currently playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was made captain of the team in early September 2011.[6] He will also be an ambassador for Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi[7]
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In his pre-NHL days, he played for CSKA Moscow on the famous line with future NHL superstars Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, and was drafted a year after Mogilny (the same year as Bure). Fedorov was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, fourth round, 74th overall. In 1990, while CSKA Moscow was in Seattle for the Goodwill Games, Fedorov quietly slipped out of his hotel room and onto an airplane bound for Detroit.[8] Thus, he became one of many NHL stars to have defected from the Soviet Union to play in the NHL.
Fedorov was described as "three great players in one". In his extraordinary career, he "once held claim to the title of top player on the planet".[9] Former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman said his teammate was the "best skater I've ever seen."[10] During the 1993–94 NHL season, Fedorov's outstanding play earned him the Hart Memorial Trophy (being the first European-trained player to do so), the Frank J. Selke Trophy, and the Lester B. Pearson Award. He finished second in scoring behind Los Angeles' Wayne Gretzky with 56 goals and 120 points.
Sergei was also introduced to Gretzky by Paul Coffey during the 1994 NHL All Star Game, which led to him staying over at his L.A home for 2 weeks that year.[11]
In the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season, Fedorov finished second on the team in points with 50 (20 goals, 30 assists) in 42 games. That season, in a game against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, February 12, Fedorov scored all 4 of Detroit's goals in a 4-4 tie. Although the Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup Finals that year to the New Jersey Devils, Fedorov led the playoffs in all scoring with 24 points (7 goals, 17 assists).
Fedorov won another Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1996, after compiling 100-point season with 39 goals and 107 points in 78 games played. The next season, he played for Russia in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and was a member of the Red Wings' first Stanley Cup championship team since 1955, lead in team scoring by contributing 20 points in 20 playoff games for Detroit. During the regular season, he had achieved the rare feat of scoring 5 goals in a single game, as he got all of Detroit's goals in a 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on December 26, 1996.
After a lengthy holdout to start the 1997–98 season, Fedorov, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes worth up to $38 million (with bonuses). The Red Wings matched the offer on February 26, 1998, ending Fedorov's holdout. The offer broke down as: $14 million for signing, $2 million for 21 regular season games, and $12 million for the team reaching conference finals. $28 million for 43 total games in 1997–98 is the largest single season amount paid to an NHL athlete. Fedorov helped the Red Wings win their second consecutive Stanley Cup that season.
On February 14, 1999, Fedorov announced that his entire base salary for the 1998–99 season, $2 million, would be used to create the Sergei Fedorov Foundation, a charity to assist Detroit area children. During the 1990s, Fedorov was third in playoff scoring, with 134 points behind only Jaromír Jágr (135) and Mario Lemieux (136). He is only the third player in NHL history to have four consecutive 20+ point playoff campaigns, along with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier.
On a team that was missing many of their top stars due to players declining and injuries, Fedorov with Pavel Bure and Mikhail Shtalenkov carried the team to a silver medal with Russia in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Fedorov and the Russians knocked out the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals 1-0, and ended the tournament winning a bronze medal. Fedorov also won his third Stanley Cup that year, and the next season scored 83 points in 80 games during the 2002–03 NHL season, and won the inaugural Kharlamov Trophy.
At the 2002 NHL All Star Game SuperSkills Competition, Fedorov slap shot the puck 101.5 mph in the net to win "Hardest Shot". Dominik Hasek said on Fedorov "I know his shot, and I'm not surprised that he won it... He can shoot from the blue line and he can score from the blue line".[12]
After a October 25, 2002 game between Pittsburgh and Detroit, talking to reporters about Fedorov, Mario Lemieux said, "He was awesome. The way he skates, he's just dominating out there. Especially in the neutral zone, he picks up a lot of speed. You can't defend against that."[13]
In the 2003 offseason, Fedorov signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after a long contract dispute with the Red Wings, in which he rejected deals for 5 years/$50 million and 4 years/$40 million. He remained with Anaheim from 2003 to 2005. It was with the Ducks that Fedorov picked up his 1,000th point, becoming the first Russian-born and fifth European-born player to do so.[14]
In an unanticipated move, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 15, 2005.[15] As a Blue Jacket, he also played his 1,000th NHL game on November 30, 2005, becoming the 13th European-born player to reach 1,000 NHL games and the 205th player overall to do so.[16]
In response on his decision to play hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Fedorov said, "I don't think it is appropriate to delay my decision about the Olympics any further. As much as I would enjoy representing my country in Italy, I'm afraid that at this point in the season my focus has to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets... I feel that the most important thing is for me to continue to work towards being 100 percent healthy. My main priority and responsibility is to the Columbus Blue Jackets and I don't believe participating in the Olympics, which is a short, intense tournament, would be the best thing to do."[17]
In a 2006 interview, former Red Wing head coach Scotty Bowman said, "[Fedorov was] one of my favorite players as a coach because he can do anything [asked of him on ice]." Bowman coached nine of Fedorov's thirteen seasons with Detroit. During the late 1990s, Bowman experimented by using Fedorov on defense and pairing him with Larry Murphy. The Red Wings senior vice-president Jim Devellano said, "I’m convinced if we left him there, he’d have won a Norris Trophy".[8] Although he was effective playing defense, Fedorov stated that he would rather play up front. This did not prevent Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock from moving Fedorov back to defense on occasion.
Fedorov signed a free-agent contract with Anaheim for less than the Red Wings offered him after Detroit lost to Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs in 2003. He is fourth all-time in many offensive categories in Red Wings history behind Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, and Alex Delvecchio. Only Howe, Yzerman, Delvecchio, and Nicklas Lidström have played more games as a Red Wing. Approaching the trade deadline in 2008, Fedorov was traded to the Washington Capitals for Capitals draft pick Theo Ruth.[18]
The following summer, Fedorov signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Washington Capitals. In 2008–09, what would become his final season in the NHL, Fedorov passed Alexander Mogilny for most goals by a Russian-born hockey player. The previous record held by Mogilny was 473 goals.
In a 2009 interview, former Red Wings Head coach Scotty Bowman recalled a conversation between Gretzky and him: "I talked to Wayne Gretzky about that six or seven years ago and he said to me: 'I couldn't play forward and defence. Mario couldn't do it. Jagr couldn't play defence. But Sergei could. He was a hell of a player'."[19]
On April 28, 2009, in one of his last games in the NHL, after shooting the game-winning goal in the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Rangers in a 2-1 game 7 contest, coach Bruce Boudreau in a press conference remarked that, "Let's face it, sometimes experience pays off. He knew what he had to do, when to do it, and that's what makes him one of the greatest players, ever". Alex Ovechkin added "He's our leader...He's our best guy in the locker room. He showed it. He's our best guy. He has more experience than anybody in this locker room. He knows how to play like that. He just shows his leadership.".[4]
For the 2009–10 season, Fedorov returned to his home country of Russia signing a 2-year deal with Magnitogorsk. He said that he wanted to fulfill his father's life long dream of having his two sons play on the same team.[20] Early in the season, Fedorov scored his 1500th point in official games.[21]
The Washington trio, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Fedorov competed on the same line for Team Russia and won the Gold Medal at the 2008 World Championships, 5-4 in overtime against Canada in which he set up the game winning goal to Ilya Kovalchuck. The tournament was the held for the first time in Canada (Quebec City) for the 100th anniversary celebrations. Team Russia would repeat the Gold against Canada again at the 2009 World Championships. He also played for Russia in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, entering the competition ranked number one in the world.[22]
In a description of Fedorov in a Hockey Hall of Fame Legends biography article describing him as
"Equally superb at center or on the wing, and a high scorer with outstanding defensive ability, Fedorov is a pure player who has mastered all facets of the game from A to Z. A gifted stickhandler, he can take on two or three opponents at a time. But if he spots a teammate in a better position, he will pass the puck, whether it's a few feet or halfway down the ice."[5]
Fedorov claimed he and tennis star Anna Kournikova were married in 2001, but later divorced in 2003.[23] Kournikova's representatives deny any marriage to Fedorov, however Fedorov's agent, Pat Brisson, claims that although he doesn't know when they got married, he knew "he [Fedorov] was married".[24] Although she claims to have never married the hockey superstar, she did turn over her South Beach condo as part of the divorce. Sergei has also been linked to Tara Reid. He presently resides in Magnitogorsk during hockey season and is known to be dating a dark-skinned woman from South Florida. A break from his usual blondes. Photos of the two have been published in the Miami Herald. On July 24, 2009, Fedorov filed a lawsuit against Joseph Zada for defrauding on a March agreement to pay him $60 million to compensate him for the $43 million Fedorov invested with Zada over the past 11 years. The lawsuit was filed by the Russian six-time all star player in Michigan.[25] Fedorov won the suit, but has been unable to collect on the judgment from Zada.[26]
Sergei Fedorov and his brother, Fedor, both appeared in a music video for the song 'My Philosophy' performed by the band RU. Fedorov agreed to perform in the video, and asked his brother to perform as well, because he was personal friends with the members of the band. He also appeared in Soccer Aid, a football game that takes place in England pitting celebrities against each other to benefit UNICEF UK. He competed on the "rest of the world" squad.
In the summer of 2011 his foundation was exceptionally busy. One recipient was a boy with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy who needed a special bed, costing approximately $20,000.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Competitor for Russia | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 1998 Nagano | Ice hockey |
| Bronze | 2002 Salt Lake City | Ice hockey |
| World Championship | ||
| Gold | 2008 Canada | Ice hockey |
| Silver | 2010 Germany | Ice hockey |
| World Cup of Hockey | ||
| Bronze | 1996 Canada | Ice hockey |
| Competitor for Soviet Union | ||
| World Championship | ||
| Gold | 1989 Sweden | Ice hockey |
| Gold | 1990 Switzerland | Ice hockey |
| World Junior Championship | ||
| Silver | 1988 Soviet Union | Ice hockey |
| Gold | 1989 USA | Ice hockey |
| Goodwill Games | ||
| Gold | 1990 USA | Ice hockey |
Bolded numbers indicate season/ playoff leader
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 29 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 48 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 44 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | CSKA Moscow | Soviet | 48 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 66 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1991–92 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 32 | 54 | 86 | 72 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 1992–93 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 34 | 53 | 87 | 72 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 23 | ||
| 1993–94 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 82 | 56 | 64 | 120 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 42 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 39 | 68 | 107 | 48 | 19 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 10 | ||
| 1996–97 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 30 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 12 | ||
| 1997–98 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 21 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 12 | ||
| 1998–99 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 66 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1999–00 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 75 | 32 | 37 | 69 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 31 | 37 | 68 | 36 | 23 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 20 | ||
| 2002–03 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 36 | 47 | 83 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 80 | 31 | 34 | 65 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Did not play | — | See 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 62 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 73 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 50 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 18 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 52 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 50 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 50 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 48 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 16 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,248 | 483 | 696 | 1,179 | 839 | 183 | 52 | 124 | 176 | 133 | ||||
| Soviet totals | 169 | 41 | 33 | 74 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals[29] | 98 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 87 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 | ||||
| Year | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Game totals | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Played for the Soviet Union in:
Played for Russia in:
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | WJC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 1988 | WJC | 7 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1989 | WJC | 7 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | |
| 1989 | WC | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1990 | WC | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
| 1991 | CC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1996 | WCH | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Oly | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | |
| 2002 | Oly | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2004 | WCH | 0 | - | - | - | - | |
| 2008 | WC | 9 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | |
| 2010 | Oly | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2010 | WC | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | |
| WJC int'l totals | 20 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 12 | ||
| WEC int'l totals | 20 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 20 | ||
| WC int'l totals | 18 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 20 | ||
| Olympics totals | 16 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 18 | ||
| Canada/ World Cup totals | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 | ||
| Senior int'l totals | 64 | 25 | 32 | 57 | 66 | ||
| Preceded by Doug Gilmour |
Frank J. Selke Trophy winner 1994 |
Succeeded by Ron Francis |
| Preceded by Mario Lemieux |
Winner of the Hart Trophy 1994 |
Succeeded by Eric Lindros |
| Preceded by Mario Lemieux |
Lester B. Pearson Award winner 1994 |
Succeeded by Eric Lindros |
| Preceded by Ron Francis |
Frank J. Selke Trophy winner 1996 |
Succeeded by Michael Peca |