Over the years, many people (Detroit Red Wings fans in particular) have said Sergei Fedorov ‘s number 91 should be hung in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena and retired. With the recent jersey retirements of both Jaromir Jagr and Chris Chelios by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively, it has further proved that it truly is time that Fedorov’s number needs to be retired by the Red Wings organization.
While Fedorov spent his best seasons with the Red Wings organization from 1990-2003, there were a few different times that he and the organization were close to a split, with the second being the end of his time in Detroit. It started with a holdout in the 1997-98 season, in which he missed 59 games of the regular season and signed an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes worth $30 million over six years that the Red Wings eventually matched. But he would spend the rest of that contract with the Red Wings before deciding to leave the team after the 2002-03 season to sign as a free agent with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Over time, each of these players’ issues or feelings towards the teams that either moved on from them or they moved on from have been mended, and they still have a strong bond with the organizations and the communities surrounding them.
Fedorov has made appearances for the Red Wings organization. Whether having a ceremony held by the organization in his honor or showing up at the Winter Classic alumni game in 2013, he has tried to make amends with the organization he called home for 13 seasons. While it seems like the organization has not forgotten or necessarily forgiven one of their franchise’s best players for leaving how he did, with the new regime in the organization led by one of Fedorov’s former teammates and
