“The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage”, by Keith Gave

 

Gold Star Publishing, 288 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1949709582

June 13^th, 1997, will go down in history as one of the Darkest Days in the history of the Detroit Red Wings, for that is the day that the career of Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov, one of the best defensemen ever to lace up skates for the Winged Wheel – hell, one of the best defensemen ever to lace up skates EVER – came to a crashing halt when the limousine being driven by Richard Gnida (you son-of-a-bitch) crashed into a tree and caused irreparable brain damage to the Russian hockey star (Russian hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov were also injured; Fetisov recovered from his wounds, while Mnatsakanov did not). It ended also the grand experiment in a different kind of hockey in the NHL, of Russian hockey, as recounted in detail by Keith Gave in The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage.

As a life-long Detroiter and Wings fan, I already knew much of the story behind Detroit’s acquisitions of the five Russian hockey players – Viacheslav Alexandrovich Fetisov, Igor Nikolayevich Larionov, Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov, Sergei Viktorovich Fedorov and Vyacheslav Anatolevich Kozlov – in the 90s was an interesting one, but the previously untold details in this well-written book reveal danger and intrigue beyond anything I expected. For The Russian Five is the true story of immigrants that became American heroes, teammates that became family and a scrappy, resilient city that became home to the Stanley Cup Champions…twice. It’s a story about hopes and dreams becoming reality, and the harsh reality of dreaming big. The names of the Russian Five are legendary now in the Motor City and their influence is still felt throughout the National Hockey League today as team after team tried, and failed, to emulate what the Wings had done.

Granted, the non-linear style of the book can grate at times, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the players and the topic, but when you are basically compiling five mini-bios, plus a brief history of a hockey team and a sports league, a little jumping ‘round is rather a necessity. Sadly, reading The Russian Five was rather like reading the epitaph of a dear friend; the thrill has gone, the times have changed (damn the Salary Cap) and the players have all moved on. I still love and root for my beloved Winged Wheel, but I don’t know if we will ever see an era like the seasons described by Gave. Mores the pity.