He was one of the most punishing and devastatingly effective defenseman in the National Hockey League, and was truly coming into his own at the time of the historic 1997 Stanley Cup victory. He was also an astounding plus-60 during Detroit’s record-setting 1995-96 season, and his massive body checks put fear into the hearts of opponents.
But his career ended and his life was changed forever less than a week after the ultimate triumph when he was critically injured along with team trainer Sergei Mnatsakanov in a limousine accident. Konstantinov suffered serious head injuries and paralysis.
He’s recently partnered with Sportsgraphing.com to autograph items to be sold to collectors, with proceeds going to Konstantinov’s Special Needs Fund. This goes towards covering the costs of therapy that isn’t included in standard insurance provisions.
Hockey Family: #LGRW legend Vladdy Konstantinov needs our support for his ongoing care.
Vladdy is autographing cards for a @sportsgraphing auction. I will give away one to someone who retweets this tweet.
The Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust: https://t.co/0c2HYjIvGJ
— Gillian Kemmerer (@gilliankemmerer) November 11, 2021
