0206080352
DETROIT FREE PRESS
020608
Saturday, June 08, 2002
METRO FINAL
1
MITCH ALBOM FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
SPECIAL SECTION; STANLEY CUP FINALS
Copyright (c) 2002, Detroit Free Press
WINGS HAVE MORE MATURE FEDOROV, ON AND OFF ICE
It could have all been different. Tonight, when the Red Wings and Hurricanes
skate out for Game 3 in Raleigh, the first Stanley Cup final in North
Carolina, and the building explodes and the Wings are roundly booed and the
Hurricanes are cheered so loudly you'll need concrete in your ears, it could
have all been reversed for Sergei Fedorov.
He could have been on the side of the angels.
Their angels, of course. Fedorov, you'll recall, was offered a king's ransom
to join the budding Carolina franchise four years ago. Peter Karmanos, the
Detroit-born Hurricanes owner, loved the idea of signing Fedorov or, short of
that, at least jacking up Mike Ilitch's payroll.
He succeeded at the latter. The Wings reluctantly matched the $38-million
offer sheet -- easily making Fedorov the team's highest-paid player at the
time -- but hardly its most popular.
"I remember those days well," Fedorov said, preparing to leave for the plane
Friday afternoon. "During warm-ups at Joe Louis Arena, I would hear the people
booing me."
He paused. Then the 32-year-old forward said something notable. "Maybe I
deserved some of it. I didn't really talk to the media or anyone about my
situation, to try and explain my side. My agents advised me not to. And maybe
I didn't want to.
"I think I took it a little too personal."
Hmm. I can't tell you everything about Sergei Fedorov, but I can tell you
this: He wouldn't have said that in 1998.
Growing up.
Image, reputation important
Fedorov, for my money, has been the Wings' most consistently excellent player
throughout the past few playoff weeks. He flies on the ice. He plays huge
minutes. He is a swingman for the Wings whenever injury or fatigue plagues
other forwards. He kills penalties, he shadows attackers, he leads the rushes
into the other team's zone and, as if this weren't enough, he's had some huge
goals when Detroit most needed them.
He is behind only Steve Yzerman in playoff points and assists. But then,
Fedorov was always gifted from the gods. What makes this year's campaign more
special is the lack of attitude or aloofness. There is no pouting, no finger
pointing, no veiled complaints about playing time.
When I asked him why, Fedorov, as often happens, answered with something from
leftfield.
"I had an embarrassing incident happen not too long ago, when I run too close
to the law."
He was referring to an impaired driving charge in Royal Oak last September,
after he swerved his black BMW around a stopped car and ran a red light.
Police said Fedorov registered a blood-alcohol level of .09 percent, just
below the drunken mark, but above the .08 impaired limit.
It was not huge news. But it mattered to Fedorov. He worried about his image
and his standing. In the months that followed, he said he came to lean on some
new friends, particularly an Italian family in West Bloomfield, who have
helped him put things into perspective.
"They have become good friends," he said. "I have people to talk to. It has
helped me. If we win the Cup, I want to take it and share it with them."
Speed, skating prowess remain
Remember those white skates Fedorov used to wear? He still has them.
"They are in my museum," he said.
You have a museum?
"Well, my basement. I keep stuff there."
Museum. Basement. What's the difference? The fact is, those white skates, part
of a huge Nike campaign, were the kind of thing that made Fedorov stand out,
or worse, look like he was trying to stand out.
He doesn't wear them now. He looks the same as the other Red Wings -- except
he often skates faster and is more effective.
Let's face it. It is a joy to watch Fedorov play. Even his critics admit that.
The fluidity, the skating prowess, the crisp passing -- and now, more and
more, the defense. "I would like to be able to play well enough to be
considered again for the Selke Trophy (for best defensive forward, which he
won in 1994 and '96). I want to prove to myself that I can still be good at
both ends."
Four years ago, after he signed back with Detroit, Fedorov found Ilitch and
quietly assured him, "I will earn every penny."
The ledger sheet is quickly balancing. Tonight, in Raleigh, when the Wings are
introduced and the boos rain down, most of them will be fueled with anger. A
few will be tinged with regret.
Guess who.
Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or albom@freepress.com.
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COLUMN;HOCKEY;RED WINGS;SERGEI FEDOROV