The Last Vladimir Konstantinov Interview June 11, 1997

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As far as I know, this is the last longform interview with Vladimir Konstatntinov before the limo accident on Friday June 13th, 1997. Many outside the Motor City are unfamiliar with or too young to remember the timeline, but the Detroit Red Wings had just ended a 42 year title drought by winning the Stanley Cup Finals vs. Philadelphia on Saturday June 7th. On Tuesday June 10th the city held a Stanley Cup parade that was attended by 1.3 million people of which I was one. The next day, Wednesday June 11th I conducted this interview with Vlady on 102-7 The Bear. I'd actually forgotten that I even did this interview after the subsequent events overshadowed the joy of winning the Cup. Upon hearing it again after 25 years I cried hearing Vlady talk about enjoying his upcoming summer with his wife and daughter with the weight of knowing all their lives would be changed a mere two days later. Imagine your favorite team wins a championship only to have some of its stars critically injured less than a week after winning the title. I remember hearing a young fan of 8 or 9 years call a local radio station to express that he'd gladly give the championship back if only his heroes could be healthy again...When I found this audio, I knew I had to share it but that I'd also have to write something that at least began to articulate how profound the experience was for me personally and to try and properly express the community-wide grief felt by the people of Detroit at the time and how everyone was affected by the limo accident. Red Wings fans camped out at the hospital. It dominated the news cycle all summer when a collective celebration would have if the accident hadn't happened.