From the Archive: MASSIVE STANLEY CUP RALLY JOYOUS END TO HEADY YEAR
How the '98 Red Wings went from offseason tragedy to successive championships
From the THN Archive, by Cynthia Lambert, Jul 3, 1998, Vol. 51, Issue 38
The Detroit Red Wings’ mantra all season long was, ’Believe.’
Believe that both defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov would recover enough from last year’s limousine crash to enjoy a reasonable quality of life.
Believe that all the tragedy that hit the team six days after they won the Stanley Cup last season would be replaced by happier memories this season.
But when 1.2 million Detroit hockey fans showed up for the Stanley Cup parade June 18 in downtown Mo-town-200,000 more than last summer-the scene bordered on unbelievable.
As the parade wound through the streets, fans chanted players’ nicknames and ogled the Cup. Then, at the Hart Plaza rally, fans saw Konstantinov, with the assistance of defenseman Slava Fetisov and trainer John Wharton, walk across the stage.
One year ago, doctors questioned whether Konstantinov would survive, let alone walk or talk. But he partook in the Detroit celebration, beginning with attending Game 4 at the MCI Center, celebrating in the dressing room afterward and then attending the parade. Mnatsakanov, paralyzed from the waist down, also attended the parade and rally-
After Konstantinov walked across the stage, Wharton, stepped up to the microphone. “Next year,” he said, “Vlady will walk across this stage by himself.”
NOTEBOOK: Within minutes of winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup, Wings’ players were already talking about plans for the future. “We were talking on the ice after, saying, ’Let’s go for three now,’ “said defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Captain Steve Yzerman seconded that at the parade. “Somehow, I don’t think anyone is going to be satisfied with two,” he told the mass of fans…Two days after winning the Cup, GM Ken Holland picked up the one-year option (at $1.1 million) on defenseman Jamie Macoun’s contract. Macoun, one of Detroit’s brightest playoff surprises along with left winger Tomas Holmstrom, played in every playoff game. He was acquired from Toronto at the trading deadline. ■
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