Crushing Blow

So highly did the Red Wings prize Konstantinov, whom they drafted in 1989, that they used unscrupulous means to pry him from the Red Army team. In '91, to expedite his discharge from the Soviet army, the Red Wings reportedly bribed some Moscow doctors, who said that Konstantinov was suffering from a rare form of cancer that could best be treated in the U.S.

In five seasons, Konstantinov has become one of the NHL's premier defensemen. This year he was named one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy, given annually to the league's best blueliner. (The winner was to be announced on Thursday in Toronto, at an awards banquet Vladimir and his wife, Irina, had planned to attend.) His strong skating and puckhandling tend to be obscured by the monstrous, open-ice checks with which he waylays opponents and by his penchant for tactics that opponents proclaim as dirty.

He leaves the Vladinator shtick at the rink, however. "Away from hockey he is a kind, gentle man," said Irina in a recent interview. Their daughter, Anastasia, is eight. "He worships her," said Irina.

As SI went to press on Monday, the news from Robbins was encouraging. "There is movement, there have been subtle signs of facial expression," he said. Although he was not yet speaking, Konstantinov could also understand and communicate with doctors, friends and family with movements of his face and extremities. On Sunday, Robbins reported that other Red Wings had been bringing in music and that Konstantinov had been responding to it—in particular to We Are the Champions, the victory anthem by Queen that boomed from the Joe Louis Arena speakers after Detroit won the Cup.

Whether the Red Wings can repeal as champions, or whether Konstantinov again plays at his elite level, were irrelevant issues at William Beaumont Hospital last weekend. "My concern is for him to be healthy, to be able to walk and talk," said Devellano. "Nothing beyond that."