The Detroit Red Wings made history 30 years ago, as the club did something that had never been done in NHL history. In a game against the Calgary Flames on October 27, 1997, the Red Wings iced a full five-Russian unit.
Going over the boards were Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozla, Slava Fetisov, and Vladimir Konstantinov.
The five were wily hockey veterans at the time. Larionov, Fetisov, and Konstantinov had been stars in their native country before joining the NHL following the end of the former Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Fedorov and Kozlov had joined the Red Wings as young prospects as part of the Soviet Union’s acquiescence to allow Russian players to move to North America.