Slava Fetisov, 51, Is Back On The Ice
By Wyatt Earp | December 12, 2009
MOSCOW – Former NHL star Slava Fetisov will start for CSKA Moscow on Friday, but doesn’t know how well his 51-year-old body will stand up to the pounding in the Continental Hockey League game.
The defenseman and former captain of the Soviet Union national team ended his professional career at age 40 after winning a second straight Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1998.
Fetisov is president of CSKA and a member of the upper house of Russia’s parliament. He got called into action by CSKA coach Sergei Nemchinov after defender Denis Kulyash was injured. Fetisov will play in Friday’s game against SKA St. Petersburg, hoping to energize the young team.
For those of you not in the know, Fetisov is a legend in Russian hockey lore. This is the equivalent of Gretzky coming out of retirement. Can Slava still play well at 51? I wouldn’t doubt it.
Topics: Ice Hockey | 10 Comments »
December 12th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I’m not a hockey fan, but is this babe an Ice Hockey Cheer Leader? I may have to switch my sport loyalties.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:15 am
“I’ll try to do better. I promise.”
Uh-huh.
(That’s a whole lot of air brushing!)
December 12th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Watuschski – No, she’s just some chick I found in front of a Soviet flag. Nice, though.
Mrs. Crankipants – Hey, not all women are flawless on their own like some people I know.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:52 am
A dude like that should have no problem coming back – some people were just engineered to dominate sports – he’s one of them.
Maybe he can come play for the Flyers and get their asses in gear. God knows they need it.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
He may be inspiring to his team-mates but he retired from the NHL after a serious car crash. That and at 51 your body just cannot do what it used to. Apparently unless you are Brett Favre, but he sold his soul to the devil.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Gordie Howe played pretty well for a long damn time.
He played into his 50s and even “played” a game at 70 to have played in 6 decades.
And by “played”, I mean took the ice and anybody who hit him would have died shortly thereafter.
But he was still the man in his 50s.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
He’s a legend in Detroit too!
December 12th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Andrew – Especially at defense. Not a lot there that excites me.
Ingineer66 – Favre lost me forever with the retirement/unretirement garbage.
Veeshir – I had the pleasure of seeing him play live when the Whalers played the Flyers in the 80′s. Fantastic talent.
Becky – He should be. Won a Cup there.
December 12th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Strong like bull.
December 12th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Ya the whole crying while saying “I have nothing left to give to the game” then un-retiring and then retiring and un-retiring again. I was hoping somebody would tear his head off last season, but now the doink keeps winning so I guess he can walk the walk.
Oh and don’t get me wrong Fetisov is the man and probably could kill any of us on the ice by just looking at us. But age does catch up with us.