Former Detroit Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov was in his early 40s when he returned to Russia to finish out his career with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL. But if anyone thought the three-time Stanley Cup champion was merely coming home to play out the string, they were stunned by the commitment to excellence that Fedorov maintained right up until the end of his playing days.
Georgiy Gelasvili was a young goalie with Magnitogorsk Metallurg. Speaking to Russian website Sport-Express, he was in awe of playing alongside Fedorov, describing him as a hockey god.
” Gelashvili remembered. “At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Fedorov was 42 at the time. He was dealing with excruciating back pain. Yet, he determined to set the right example for his young teammates, some of whom were half his age.
“Forty-two years old, with back problems. and this,” Gelashvili said of Fedorov’s astonishing commitment to fitness.
Fedorov Brought his Red Wings Commitment to Russian Club
The level of commitment that helped Fedorov be the only Red Wings player to win the Hart Trophy since 1963 and become the only player in NHL history to win the Hart and Selke Trophies in the same season wasn’t wavering as he played out the final days of his on-ice career.
Every day, he displayed to his youthful teammates exactly how he was still getting it done into his 40s.
Fedorov excluded flour products, sweets, and coffee from his diet.
“Yes, Sergei was very particular about his diet,” Gelashvili recalled. “He preferred brown pasta over regular pasta. It takes longer to digest.
But he mostly ate steak.
“Alcohol-wise, he drank a little red wine.”
Including his four years with CSKA Moscow before joining the Red Wings in 1990, Fedorov played 25 years of top-level pro hockey.