The Detroit Red Wings announced today that Sergei Fedorov’s jersey retirement will take place on January 12th, 2026. Fedorov played for the Red Wings from 1990 to 2003. Fedorov was part of the famed Russian Five line that changed the sport of hockey by introducing Russian players to the NHL. In nearly 1,250 games played during his career, the majority of those played with the Red Wings, Fedorov scored 400 goals and had 954 points. Both are in the top 10 in franchise history.
The reason that this announcement took so long was that Fedorov was signed to an offer sheet by the Carolina Hurricanes, the very team that offer sheeted Fedorov. The Red Wings would eventually match the offer sheet and win their second straight Stanley Cup in 1998, but the relationship was damaged.
The Governor and Chief Executive of the Red Wings, Chris Ilitch, is the son of the former owner Mike Ilitch, who drafted Fedorov. Surprisingly, this announcement came when the Ilitch family still owns the Red Wings. Chris Ilitch also released a statement on the Red Wings’ website on Fedorov’s jersey retirement.
“We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” said Ilitch. “His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor. My parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.”
Fedorov was magnanimous in his response to this honor. “I’m extremely grateful for this tremendous honor. Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise,” Fedorov said in a statement. Fedorov was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility.
Could this shift in the relationship between Fedorov and the Red Wings signal a return to the franchise in a more meaningful way? When Fedorov retired from the NHL, he began his front office career in the KHL, where he was the general manager of CSKA Moscow from 2012 to 2016. He also served as senior advisor for the team from 2017 to 2021. Fedorov was the head coach of CSKA Moscow from 2021 to 2023 and an assistant coach for Russia in the Olympic Games in 2021, when Russia won a silver medal.
The Red Wings also announced that the “hockeytown” moniker will return to center ice as part of the team’s centennial anniversary celebration. “The center ice fan vote, launched in partnership with Meijer, was a great way to get fans involved in Red Wings Centennial right from the start,” said Asia Gholston, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing for Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. The team has yet to announce the jersey that they will wear for the 2025-26 NHL season. Made famous at Joe Louis Arena, the hockeytown slogan was born during the Red Wings’ 25-year playoff streak.
General manager of the Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, a former teammate of Fedorov’s with the Red Wings. The mission for Yzerman is to get the Red Wings back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. Yzerman fired former head coach Derek Lalonde around Christmas of 2024 and replaced him with Todd McLellan. One thing is certain, and that is Sergei Fedorov’s jersey retirement is long overdue.
ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink
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