Coaching has become a common pursuit among the members of the Detroit Red Wings famed Russian Five.
Sergei Fedorov guided CSKA Moscow to the past two Gagarin Cup titles as champions of the KHL. There’s been suggestions that he may have a future behind an NHL bench. Igor Larionov, in his first year behind the bench, took Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod to a surprising fourth-place finish. Even Slava Kozlov has been working in the KHL as an assistant coach.
While he certainly is showing some impressive coaching credentials on his resume, Fetisov is indicating that aspect of his life will be staying in the past as far as his plans for the future are concerned.
“No , I got over it,” Fetisov is telling KP Sport of the coaching bug. “I have something to do now. Hockey, of course, is not going anywhere. I rarely watch, but sometimes I correspond with Sergei Fedorov and with Igor Larionov.”
Two-Time Cup Champ With Red Wings
A member of hockey’s famed Triple Gold club, Fetisov won back-to-back Stanley Cups on the Red Wings defense in 1996-97 and 1997-98. He’s also a multiple Olympic and world champion.
As a coach, he led Russia to the bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Fetisov was also serving for two seasons as an assistant coach with his first NHL team, the New Jersey Devils.
These days, he is working as a deputy in the Russian Duma. He’s been outspoken about his country’s exclusion from international sport since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
However, Fetisov insists that this issue is not No. 1 on his plate. Fetisov holds the post of First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Ecology of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
“Now for me, ecology is my hockey,” Fetisov explained.
In an effort to raise awareness of how climate change is impacting the Arctic, in 2021 Fetisov organized a charity event called The Last Game For Climate Change. He staged an outdoor hockey game on a lake in Siberia.
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