OT: "The Russian Five" on Detroit PBS @ 9PM
December 17th, 2020 at 8:07 PM ^
Quite possibly my favorite sports documentary ever. I watched it on a flight to Florida and it took my best poker face to not laugh at various points, cheer when McCarty kicked the shit out Lemieux and cry when they were pushing Vlady around the ice with the cup in 98. 5 out of 5 stars.
December 17th, 2020 at 8:34 PM ^
Was at a game at JLA in early 2000's when they announced Vlady was there. He was in a suite right behind me, literally 25 feet away. So many emotions were experienced at the moment. My favorite Red Wing of all time.
Great documentary, saw it at the theater and on Amazon Prime ?.
December 17th, 2020 at 8:52 PM ^
Co-sign. Best sports documentary I’ve seen. I knew very little of the backstory despite living it during my youthful years.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:16 PM ^
I'll pile on here, too.
In the same (Red Wing - related) category, I thought "Red Army" was excellent.
December 18th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
same, watched on a flight and had the same emotions.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:03 PM ^
Vladdy's accident is one of the saddest events in Detroit sports history, right up there with Mike Utley, Eric Andolsek, and Chuck Hughes.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:49 PM ^
I was at the game at the Silverdome against the Rams where Utley was injured. I still remember him giving the thumbs up as he was carted away too even though it looked like (and obviously was since he is paralyzed) just an awful injury from the moment the play happened.
December 18th, 2020 at 12:03 AM ^
The Lions had the making of a great OL before Utley injury and the next Summer when Andolsek was hit my a semi truck while mowing his lawn in LA.
December 18th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
I only have been to two or three lions games ever and one was vs. the Jets where Reggie Brown nearly died on the field from a spinal cord injury, although he eventually mostly recovered.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:04 PM ^
The first time I watched it, I stood in front of the TV the whole time. It was excellent, and my wife had more reason to believe I am a weirdo
Most of the commentariat is probably within TV distance of the Wings so you were all fortunate enough to see them on TV (if not in person) for most games. I lived in Cleveland, and in an area where there was no cable TV. I listened to as many games as I could on WJR. I was in late HS/doing everything I could to fuck up my first run in college in the mid 90s and my Dad and I were often at odds. One thing we could ALWAYS do was listen to the Wings on the radio (often in his work truck on drives in between our cottage & our home after going out to do some work on the place for the night). No matter what was going on between us, anytime there was a game on, the frost was immediately (if only temporarily) melted. He died in '99 of a coronary (he was a week shy of 53), and I still look back on those times and those teams and feel the entire spectrum of emotions (the hair on my arms is standing up as I type this). Those Wings teams have more signifigance to me than any other.
PSA - Obstructive sleep apnea is no joke, and it can do serious damage to your heart. If you have it, do your family a favor and get it checked out.
December 18th, 2020 at 3:34 AM ^
Sorry for the early loss of your father, Benoit. Your story moved me.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:20 PM ^
Also available on Prime Video free if you have an Amazon account.
December 17th, 2020 at 9:45 PM ^
1997 was a great year for sure.
December 18th, 2020 at 3:35 AM ^
Yup. Wings, UM, plus my first child was born that year. Tiger at the Masters.
December 18th, 2020 at 9:45 AM ^
I love that documentary but the effect the limo wreck had on Vladdie (and Sergei M.) not only on the ice but off the ice still saddens me to this day. He was my favorite Red Wing because of his tenacity and never back down approach at a time you had guys like Stevie Y, Shanny, and Federov. A perfect example of Detroit blue collar workers.