Sergei Fedorov tells the story about Detroit's bait-and-switch contract from 1990
In a recent interview with Pavel Lysenkov and Daria Mironova on the program Игра в тело (Bodycheck), Sergei Fedorov revealed that his business dealings with the Red Wings front office were contentious from the very beginning.
Everyone knows about Fedorov's lengthy RFA holdout in 1997-98, which resulted in Detroit having to match Carolina's front-loaded offer sheet which essentially ended up with Fedorov being paid $28 million for a shortened season. Then there was the 2003 offseason when he ended up leaving Detroit after rejecting multiple contract offers.
But as it turned out, the problems started when Fedorov had to sign his first contract after defecting in 1990. When Fedorov arrived in Detroit he signed a contract, but after looking at it more thoroughly, he realized the contract was short "something like 30 to 40 percent" of what the Red Wings had promised him in a letter delivered before his defection. In a fit of frustration, Fedorov, alone and without adequate English-speaking skills, left for New York and hired a lawyer. According to Fedorov, the lawyer called Red Wings executive VP Jim Lites, who was involved in arranging the defection during the 1990 Goodwill Games, and said "Sergei is going back to give himself up" after what he felt was a bait-and-switch.
Eventually, Fedorov signed the five-year deal he was promised and went on to have a Hall of Fame career. The contract situation never manifested itself in his play as he helped the Red Wings build a dynasty and won three Stanley Cups. He also talked about being happy to see former teammate Steve Yzerman back in the Detroit organization as GM.
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JUNE 4, 2026
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