By
the early 1990s, Detroit was a sad shadow of its 1960s industrial glory, but it
was still represented a quantum increase in the potential living standards for
Russia’s top hockey players. That really ought to be the final word on the
Soviet Socialist experiment. Of course, it was not just their economic freedoms
that were curtailed. The USSR tightly controlled their travel and maintained
intrusive surveillance, especially when they might come in contact with
Westerners. Nevertheless, the Detroit Red Wings managed to draft, sign, and
suit-up some the best players produced by the Soviet hockey machine. The
resulting Motor City sports history is chronicled in Joshua Riehl’s The Russian Five, which opens today in
New York.
Sergei
Fedorov was the first Russian player to join the Red Wings, after they helped
facilitate his defection following an exhibition match sponsored by the
Goodwill Games (that was probably the first time Ted Turner’s pet project made
headlines, but it most likely wasn’t what he had in mind). The team also caused
a bit of an international incident when they brought over Vladimir Konstantinov
and his family, by way of Hungary, where they had already chucked Communism
into the dustbin of history. However, it was a relatively easy process adding
Vyacheslaw Kozlov to the roster, while Viacheslav Fetisov and Igor Larionov
were acquired the old-fashioned way—through trades.
Together
they were the Russian Five and they ignited the cellar-dwelling Red Wings. Not
surprisingly, they were highly compatible on the ice. They racked up W’s during
the regular season, but for several years, they experienced all sorts of
heartache during the playoffs.
Like
any good sports doc, The Russian Five has
triumph and tragedy, as well as a seriously villainous rival in the form of the
Colorado Avalanche. Even if you have no interest in hockey, you will still get
caught up in the drama. This is the kind of film that is perfect for fans of
ESPN’s 30 for 30 and HBO’s Real Sports. Obviously, there are also
geopolitical implications to the story, but Riehl does his best to soft pedal
them. This could well be a function of the subjects themselves, including
Fetisov, who served as Putin’s minister of sport and a principle architect of
the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Nonetheless,
there is absolutely no denying which side of the Iron Curtain had the best
opportunities for players. Riehl uses some entertaining animated sequences to
help tell the tale, but the liveliest episodes involve the team’s wild forays
into international relations. He has lengthy on-camera sit-downs with all four
of the Russian Five who are still available for media, as well as former Red
Wings GM Jim Devellano and many of their fellow players, including team captain
Steve Yzerman, who gets credit for being an equally important addition to the
team and Darren McCarty, who can tell hockey war stories with the best of them.
Jeff Daniels the actor also pops up from time to time, because he is apparently
the Red Wings’ most famous fan.
You
might expect Riehl’s film would overlap considerably with Gabe Polsky’s Red Army, but the Detroit focus makes it
almost entirely new and completely fresh for fans of Russian hockey docs. Even
though it is not about the Rangers, it is still quite watchable and engaging.
Easily recommended for athletically-inclined viewers, especially those
interested in how sports and culture relate and respond to each other, The Russian Five opens today (5/31) in
New York, at the IFC Center.