Vladimir Konstantinov (Russian: Владимир Константинов; born March 19, 1967, in Murmansk, USSR) is a former professional hockey player who played his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. Previously, he had played for Soviet club HC CSKA Moscow. His career was ended in a limousine accident just six days after the Red Wings 1997 Stanley Cup victory.

Vladimir Konstantinov, "Vladdie," was drafted 221st overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, after impressing a Red Wings scout at the 1987 World Junior Championships, where a brawl broke out in the Russia/Canada game. Scout Neil Smith remembers, "He was the only one of the Russians who fought back." Probably the most notable aspect of his hockey career was his aggressive style, specializing in getting opponents off their game. "For my game," he explained, "I don’t need to score the goal.

I need someone to start thinking about me and forgetting about scoring goals." Konstantinov's aggressive style of play also earned him the nickname "The Vladiator". He was also part of the unit known as "The Russian Five," which consisted of defensemen Vladimir Konstntinov and Vyacheslav Fetisov, and forwards Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov, and Vyacheslav Kozlov. Konstantinov was more than a pest, as some had taken to calling him; he was a skilled player.

He earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995–96, with a plus/minus difference of plus-60. The +60 has been the highest rating a player has finished with in the past 20 seasons, since Wayne Gretzky finished with a +70 in the 1986–87 NHL season. In 1996–97, his final season, Konstantinov was runner-up (to Brian Leetch) for the Norris Trophy, given to the league's best defenceman.

However, Konstantinov's career is not remembered so much outside Detroit for what happened on the ice as for how it ended. Following a private party on June 13, 1997 celebrating the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup triumph, Konstantinov, along with Russian hockey legend Vyacheslav Fetisov, and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov hired a limousine to drive them home. The driver, Richard Gnida, whose license was suspended at the time for drunk driving, lost control of the limousine and hit a tree on the median of Woodward Avenue, in the city of Birmingham in Oakland County.

Konstantinov spent several weeks in a coma before finally pulling through. He also suffered from serious head injuries and paralysis while Fetisov escaped with relatively minor injuries and was able to play the following season. Mnatsakanov sustained heavy head injuries and also spent some time in a coma; he has had a considerably more difficult recovery.

Similar to 0 things you like: