One of the all-time best hitters, playing during arguably the best rivalry in all pro-sports. What could be better? The era of the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche rivalry defined an age of NHL hockey. It was hard to talk about anything hockey-related without it coming up. To this day it’s bred a generation of fans that ooze nostalgia for that period of Red Wings history, even two decades later. A player that fans look back on most fondly is Vladimir Konstantinov.
Everyone knows the story behind the tragic end to Konstantinov’s career. So we’re gonna skip over that part. We’ll instead look back on the time that Konstantinov absolutely destroyed Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche, at the height of this historic rivalry.
You just don’t see hits like that in today’s NHL anymore. It’s a thing of beauty, really. Konstantinov was known as the Red Wings’ big hitter, keeping players’ heads on swivels and always good for finishing his check. Through 446 regular season games, Konstantinov racked up 175 points and an astounding 838 penalty minutes. That’s roughly 1.88 penalty minutes a game. If he had continued playing and not had his career ended, he was on pace for over 2500 career penalty minutes. (Over a projected 18 seasons)
Konstantinov was a force on the ice, and his presence was greatly and noticeably missed after the accident. Wishing you well, Vladdy!
