Steve Yzerman called it the most emotional moment he’d ever be involved in. Moments before, Scotty Bowman had tried to calm a bench that was in tears.
In this edition of Detroit Red Wings Revisited, the memory is June 16, 1998. The Wings were in Washington, up 3-0 on the Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals. The day of Game 4, a plane left Detroit metro airport for Washington carrying the families of Wings players — and one very special teammate. Vladimir Konstantinov, the fierce defenseman whose career was cut short in a limousine accident a week after the 1997 Cup, was on board with his wife, Irina.