Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios sounds off on Sergei Fedorov's number not being retired
Photo credit: https://x.com/NHL_On_TNT/status/1869532357402800604
Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios is in disbelief that the organization hasn't raised Sergei Fedorov's No. 91 to the rafters of Little Caesars Arena.
Former Detroit Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov was one of the greatest players in franchise history, but he had a complicated relationship with the team that ended bitterly.
And despite things getting better in recent years, the team still has not raised his iconic No. 91 to the rafters of Little Caesars Arena next to icons like Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Gordie Howe and others.
Earlier tonight, another former Red Wings Hall of Famer has openly wondered aloud why Fedorov's jersey number hasn't formerly been retired in Hockeytown.
Defenseman Chris Chelios, who won the Stanley Cup alongside Fedorov in 2002, is in disbelief that No. 91 isn't in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena.
I mean, it's hard for me to believe. He was such a great teammate, I was there for two of the Cups (2002, 2008) but he won three. He was stealth, he could carry the team as a forward and Scotty put him on defense, he was a natural.
He was such a great kid, nobody in the locker room worked harder. That's shocking, but I hope it gets in there and Sergei gets his jersey retired, he deserves it.
He was such a great kid, nobody in the locker room worked harder. That's shocking, but I hope it gets in there and Sergei gets his jersey retired, he deserves it.
Will Sergei Fedorov's number ever be retired by the Red Wings and hung in the Little Caesars Arena rafters?
The good news is that in recent years, it appears the relationship between the two sides has thawed.
Fedorov represented the Red Wings in the alumni game before the 2014 Winter Classic, and also received a thunderous ovation when he dropped the puck before a game at Joe Louis Arena in November of 2015.
Fedorov drew the ire of the Ilitch family when he not only signed a considerable offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes in 1998 (at the time, they were owned by bitter Mike Ilitch business rival Peter Karmanos) and then when he turned down more money in 2003 to sign with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015 and International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2016.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 134 ANSWERS Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios sounds off on Sergei Fedorov's number not being retired Should the Detroit Red Wings bury the hatchet with Sergei Fedorov and retire his No. 91? | ||
| Yes, he was one of the top players in team history | 111 | 82.8 % |
| No, he burned that bridge in 1998 and then 2003 | 23 | 17.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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