News Article: Konstantinov

[stu the grim reaper]

I mean he was a guy that was always talked about(maybe not by the media) as someone that the whole team looked up to and rallied behind.

I haven't found anything in a quick search, but I know behind the scenes, and I'm sure on record somewhere, you can find sincere accounts of how much Konstantinov meant as a leader that united skill players and role players, russians and canadiens. There's leading by example, and there's selflessly walking through the fire, and Konstantinov had zero ego and unrelenting toughness.

Konstantinov was instrumental in, and a borderline catalyst for, the Red Wings transition from a team that was considered too soft to a team that was considered dominant champions.

He's talked about like he was a complimentary player with an admittedly great highlight reel, but in reality the only players that rival his impact are other generational, cornerstone, hall of fame, franchise defensemen.

this is what I mean by rose-tinted glasses. I would believe it if any of his former teammates or former adversaries talked about him this way, but I feel like we are all a little guilty of living in the past when we idealize Konstantinov. I don't think it diminishes him as a person or a hockey player to say he probably wasn't a future all time great, and we don't know if he would've had a HOF career, or a Norris win, or another cup win. He was a great and much-loved red wing, he played like no other red wings defensemen in my lifetime, he threw hip checks that would've made eddie shore proud, and that is enough to be meaningful and important.

 

[vladdy16]

this is what I mean by rose-tinted glasses. I would believe it if any of his former teammates or former adversaries talked about him this way, but I feel like we are all a little guilty of living in the past when we idealize Konstantinov. I don't think it diminishes him as a person or a hockey player to say he probably wasn't a future all time great, and we don't know if he would've had a HOF career, or a Norris win, or another cup win. He was a great and much-loved red wing, he played like no other red wings defensemen in my lifetime, he threw hip checks that would've made eddie shore proud, and that is enough to be meaningful and important.

Apologies for jumping in again here to get the last word.

I wouldn't call out someones conservative view on the subject as being overly-protective against how a tradgedy might skew perspective, but I'd appreciate it if my opinion were given the same assumption on the flip side, because my anylysis is rooted in what I thought, and what others thought of the player while he was active.

Ted Lindsay said, under oath, that for the year 1997 Vladimir Konstantinov was the best hockey player on the planet. Obviously the context of that comment is strange, but again, it's something that was being talked about through '97, not just afterwards.

How tough it was to play against Konstantinov was a constant talking point of opposing players, and like I said earlier, if you asked a guy like Larionov or Yzerman where they thought Konstantinov stacked up, I don't think you'd get an ambiguous answer.

Konstantinov was a cornerstone for two 'franchises' in an era when talent was highly concetrated at the top. His career ended while he was entering his prime, but at that point he already had a highly successful 13 year professional career. His peak years in the NHL were akin to those of Stevens and Pronger. I think Pronger and Stevens are certainly all-time greats.

Again, sorry for jumping back in. Just couldn't help myself because it always seems to get lost that it was certainly a reality, not rose colored hindsight, that a large contingent of observers were heading into that Philly series with a focus on the emergence of Konstantinov as a primary force in the NHL landscape. Long time fans of his were feeling like he was finely getting his due, and that we could look forward to Konstantinov being showcased in the same way Lidstrom and Pronger would be.