DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings retired Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 jersey Monday night, honoring the Russian great more than a decade after he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
«Detroit is home, always been — no matter where I was,» he said.
Fedorov left the city in 2003, signing with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Five years earlier, as a restricted free agent, he signed an offer sheet to play for the Carolina Hurricanes, but the Red Wings matched the offer and he stayed in Detroit.
«Leaving Detroit when I did was a huge mistake,» the 56-year-old Fedorov said during a pregame ceremony before Detroit hosted Carolina. «That is on me.»
The dynamic, two-way center became the ninth player to have his jersey retired by the Red Wings, joining Hall of Famers Gordie Howe, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman.
Alex Ovechkin.
«One of the best players I’ve ever played with,» Ovechkin said in a video tribute.
Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility.
The Red Wings retired Yzerman’s and Lidstrom’s jerseys shortly after they retired, but their ownership was more deliberate about sealing Fedorov’s legacy with franchise.
Fedorov said he was humbled to earn a place alongside «those legends» near the roof in Little Caesars Arena.
«It’s surreal — in the best way,» he said, choking up.
