How much of the NHL is Russian? Who were the Russian five in the NHL?

The Russian five were a group of five Russian ice hockey players from the Soviet Union who played for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League in the 1990s.

Sergei Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov, and Igor Larionov were the five players. The Red Wings helped three of the players defect from the Soviet Union because they had drafted them in 1989 and 1990.

The final two came from the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils via trade. Between October 1995 and June 1997, Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman occasionally used the five as a unit but also mixed and matched them with other teammates.

The Red Wings’ 1996–97 NHL championship run was made possible in large part by the Russian Five. Vladimir Konstantinov’s ice hockey career was cut short by a car accident six days after the Cup victory.

The final four players had either retired, been traded, or signed with new teams by 2003.

Russia contributes 38 players to the NHL (4% of all players). Despite having a sizable population and a large country where hockey is played, most players choose to play the game in Russia.