Fedorov Rules Out Wings

Sergei Fedorov has played his last game as a Detroit Red Wing.

Pat Brisson, agent for the unrestricted free agent superstar, announced Wednesday that Fedorov had decided not to resign with the Red Wings.

“We’re basically making it official now: Sergei won’t be back in Detroit,” Brisson said. “Nothing personal against the Red Wings. He’s just moving on.”

Fedorov leaves the team that drafted him 74th overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. The Red Wings helped Fedorov defect from the Soviet Union in 1990 by sneaking him out of the side door of a Portland, OR, hotel.

In thirteen seasons with Detroit, Fedorov scored four hundred regular season goals and added fifty in the playoffs. He is second in all-time Red Wings playoff scoring behind captain Steve Yzerman.

Red Wings’ general manager Ken Holland was making calls to other free agents when he got the news.

“Sorry to hear that,” Holland said. “Obviously he was a great player for us for a lot of years. I thought we made tremendous offers. It’s unfortunate that Pat and Sergei feel this way.”

Fedorov turned down a four-year, $40 million offer from the Red Wings after Detroit’s early exit from the playoffs. Despite this, Fedorov felt the Wings were not making him enough of a priority.

---

Holland told Rich Winter, agent for “retired” netminder Dominik Hasek, that he needs to know Hasek’s decision regarding his comeback by the middle of next week… TSN.ca reports that the Red Wings have offered Dallas Stars’ captain Derian Hatcher a four-year, $22 million deal.