Viacheslav Fetisov is one of the most popular and richest Ice Hockey Player who was born on April 20, 1958 in Moscow, Russia. In his homeland, Fetisov has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1984 and the Order of Lenin in 1988 The Order Of Service To The Fatherland 4th class in 2000, and the 3rd class in 2005. He also received and the Order Of Honour in 1998 as well as of Friendship in 1998, the Order of Friendship in 2007 and of Lenin in 1988, the Order Of Friendship and Orders of the Badge of Honor. On the 22nd of October the 22nd of October, 1981 Russian Astronomer Nikolai Chernykh discovered an asteroid in the main belt of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Ukraine. The asteroid was dubbed the 8806 Fetisov in honor of Fetisov.
In June 1985, Fetisov was involved in a car accident that killed his younger brother Anatoly, who was 18 years old at the time and a prospect within the HC CSKA Moscow system.
He played in New Jersey until 1994–95, when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in April 1995. Fetisov began producing immediately with the Red Wings, scoring 14 points in 14 games to finish the season after the trade. He helped the Red Wings to the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated by his former team, the Devils. The following season, Fetisov matched his career high in points with 42-points in 1995–96. He was named to his first NHL All-Star Game in 1997, then won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Detroit in 1997 and 1998, before announcing his retirement. He took the Stanley Cup to Moscow after the 1997 championship, where the trophy appeared for the first time in Russia.
Fetisov was a debutant for CSKA Moscow’s junior team when he turned sixteen years old. He was a part of the senior team during the Soviet Championship League in 1978-79 and scored 29 points over 29 games during his rookie season. In the fourth season of his career, Fetisov reeled off 41 points over 46 games and was named in 1982 the USSR player of the year. The following year the player was awarded an additional Player of Year award after a 34-point year in 1985-86.
Fetisov was drafted to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft eleven years before. But since he was not eligible to compete on the field in North America at the time the team was reinstated into the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, where Fetisov was chosen to the New Jersey Devils. Fetisov was a rookie as a player for the Devils in 1989-1990 and scored scores of eight scores and scored 42 points which were both NHL record-breaking numbers for Fetisov.
With the Soviet national team, Fetisov won two gold medals (1984, 1988) and one silver medal (1980) at the Olympics. At the World Championships, Fetisov won seven golds (1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990), one silver (1987), and three bronzes (1977, 1985, 1991). Fetisov also won one Canada Cup in 1981. At the 2002 Olympics, he was head coach of the Russian national team, winning the bronze. Fetisov and teammate Igor Larionov, along with Scott Niedermayer, Corey Perry, Joe Sakic, Patrice Bergeron, Sidney Crosby, and Jonathan Toews are the only players to win the “Grand Slam of Ice Hockey”, winning the Stanley Cup, World Ice Hockey Champions, Ice Hockey at the Winter Olympics, World Ice Hockey Junior Championship, and Canada/World Cup Championship.
