Former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov’s 3-minute letter to Detroit ahead of jersey retirement

The Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of a stellar season, currently in first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. As they prepare to take the ice on Monday night, the franchise will take a moment to recognize one of its greatest players, Sergei Fedorov, by retiring his number 91 jersey. Prior to the ceremony, Federov sent out a three-minute letter to the fans and the city of Detroit.

Hey Hockeytown:

A letter from Sergei Fedorov pic.twitter.com/l3qpBDwXmL

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 12, 2026

Fedorov joined the Red Wings for the 1990-1991 season and played 13 seasons with the franchise.

“I remember just like yesterday when I was leaving my Soviet Union team to jump on a plane Mr. Ilitch sent for me to Portland, Oregon to come to Detroit. I couldn’t sleep on the plane.  A lot of thoughts were going through my 20-year-old mind. But I was excited to open this new chapter called the Detroit Red Wings,” the legend began his letter.

His time with the Red Wings was amazing. He would be a six-time NHL All-Star, plus the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP, Lester B. Pearson Award, and Frank J. Selke Trophy twice. Further, he was a three-time Stanley Cup Champion.

“A few years later, we were chasing the Stanley Cup. It has been a long time since this precious trophy had arrived in Detroit. Those were exciting times. We never thought we couldn’t get it done. Every season we played chasing this important, wonderful trophy, for us it was exciting,” Fedorov continued. “Eventually, in 1997, we were able to do so. That journey we went through, we couldn’t have done it without the fans coming to our games, good or bad, win or lose. For me personally, it meant a lot because it’s always more exciting to play in front of the 20,000 fans every night at the Joe Louis Arena.”

Current Red Wings also know the importance of this moment.

“To see 91 going up there is well deserved. It’s really cool that we get to witness it, sit on the bench, listen to what he has to say and see the videos. I know the fans will be really excited. They feel it’s a long time coming, and it’s rightful that he’s going to be up there as the greatest players in Red Wings history,” Dylan Larkin said, according to Jonathan Mills of DetroitRedWings.com.

The letter concludes with a thank you to the fans, former teammates, and ownership for his time with the franchise.

The Red Wings are 27-15-4 on the season. They hope to honor Fedorov with a win over the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes, on Monday night.

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