Vlad the Impaler: More Epic Tales From Detroit's '97 Stanley Cup Conquest

by Keith Gave

Overview

Picking up where the international best-selling book The Russian Five left off, Vlad the Impaler will have readers alternately laughing—and in tears—with dozens more memorable, untold stories and anecdotes from the Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup championship season in 1997, 25 years ago. The book includes a foreword by Hall of Fame defenseman Slava Fetisov, along with lengthy excerpts from interviews of several members of that team, from captain Steve Yzerman, teammates Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Slava Kozlov, and coach Scotty Bowman, among many others. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be earmarked for the Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust to help ensure the care he needs after suffering catastrophic injuries just a week after he helped the Wings win their first Stanley Cup title in 42 years. #Believe

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952421259
Publisher:	Printopya
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	609,479
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

The award-winning author of the best-selling book, The Russian Five, A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage, Keith Gave spent six years in the United States Army as a Russian linguist in West Berlin, working for the National Security Agency during the Cold War. A native of suburban Detroit, Gave’s news career has spanned more than 40 years, including stints with The Associated Press (Chicago Bureau) and the Dallas Morning News, where his editors nominated him for a Pulitzer Prize. More recently, he spent nearly 20 years as a college English and journalism instructor.

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Foreword xv

Introduction xxiii

1 It's All in the Name 1

2 Sorry, Little Brother 5

3 Who Stole the Zamboni? 9

4 Genesis 11

5 Where Only Winning Matters 15

6 A Draft for the Ages 17

7 On the Art of Leadership 23

8 On the Russian Influence 25

9 A Victim of Unintended Consequences 28

10 Love at First Sight? 30

11 Bowman Takes Control 33

12 Different Yes, But Not Soft 35

13 Cold Welcome for Europeans 38

14 Redbird One's First Mission: A Defection 40

15 Second Mission: Get Vladdie 44

16 No Crooked Pocket Squares 48

17 Words You Don't Say in an Airport 50

18 Lost in Translation 52

19 Yzerman vs. Fedorov? No Debate 54

20 What a Country! Both of Them 57

21 Playing the Trust Card 60

22 They're with the Band 62

23 A Thoroughbred Among Clydesdales 64

24 Life with Scotty: 'An Intense Time' 67

25 For Fedorov, the Highest Praise 70

26 The Russians Were Better, Period 72

27 'What's the Number?' 74

28 Burning from the Inside? 76

29 That's Using Your Head, Eh? 78

30 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? 82

31 'The Guy that Every Team Feared' 84

32 'The Ultimate Warrior' 86

33 Even Teammates Weren't Safe 88

34 Like a DC Comic Hero-or Villain 90

35 The Impaler-on Figure Skates? 95

36 The Next Wayne Gretzky? 98

37 'A Very Very Clutch Hockey Player' 101

38 19 Going on 16 103

39 Cradle of Creativity 105

40 No 'Average Joe' 107

41 Slava Kozlov, in His Own Words 110

42 Treated 'Like Meat' 117

43 'No Hard Feelings, Guys' 119

44 On Winning That Trophy 121

45 Bowman Finally Gets His Man 123

46 A 'Mr. Hockey' Welcome to Detroit 126

47 On That Notorious Hip Check 129

48 The Epitome of Professionalism 133

49 The Genius of Scotty Bowman 136

50 Creating Masterpieces 138

51 The Diesel That Led 143

52 Legends in the Stalls Nearby 145

53 The Difference in an Epic Playoff Sweep 148

54 A Generational Shift 151

55 'I Can't Believe I Shook His …' 154

56 Friendship in Name Only? 157

57 'Paybacks Are a Bitch' 162

58 The Precious Metals Exchange 169

59 Here We Go Again 171

60 What's Gordie Doing There? 174

61 The Longest Seconds 177

62 Like a Live Grenade 179

63 The After-Party 181

64 Finally 183

65 'It's Really Hard' 186

66 The Wrong Damned Glass 189

67 A Sobering Gut Punch 191

68 Believe 196

69 Survivor's Guilt 198

70 Made for Hollywood 201

71 A Climate Change in the Cold War 204

72 A Special Ending 207

73 We Are Family? 211

74 The Vladinator Returns 214

75 The Last Word 217

Acknowledgments 221

Editorial Reviews

"Keith Gave, always a terrific reporter, had a front row seat to the most fascinating and colorful chapter of Red Wings history – the Russian Five. At times, he was smack in the middle of it, as an envoy, Russian-speaker and secret-keeper. No one could write this story with the detail, depth and understanding that Gave delivers." —Mitch Albom, columnist, Detroit Free Press

 

"Few knew of the role played by one multi-lingual erstwhile Detroit Free Press reporter who stickhandled through the Soviet KGB to plant the seed that sprung two of the most important spokes in the winged wheel. . . The ultimate ‘inside story’ of those days." —Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, five-time Emmy Award-winning, Hall of Fame broadcaster and the voice of hockey on NBC-TV

From the Publisher