DETROIT — Sergei Fedorov is the only Detroit Red Wings player ever to wear No. 91. It’s going to stay that way.

The Red Wings are retiring Fedorov’s No. 91, the team announced Tuesday, becoming the franchise’s ninth retired jersey number. The ceremony is scheduled for the team’s Jan. 12 game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch called Fedorov on Monday morning to deliver the news.

“We are honored to celebrate Sergei Fedorov and raise his #91 to its rightful place hanging in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena, among the all-time greats who have worn the Winged Wheel,” Ilitch said in a press release. “His exceptional skill, relentless drive, and lasting impact playing a pivotal role bringing three Stanley Cup championships to Detroit make him the perfect embodiment of the qualities deserving of our franchise’s most prestigious honor. My parents Mike and Marian Ilitch had a special reverence for Sergei as one of the most dynamic and charismatic players of his era, and someone who made a tremendous impact on our organization. All of us at the Red Wings look forward to hosting Sergei and his family in January to pay tribute to his remarkable career.”

A 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Fedorov spent 13 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Red Wings, who originally drafted him out of Russia in 1989 — part of a legendary Detroit draft class that also included Nicklas Lidstrom, Vladimir Konstantinov, Mike Sillinger, Bob Boughner and Dallas Drake. After defecting from the Soviet Union in 1990, Fedorov went on to a storied career that saw him score 483 goals and 1,179 points in 1,248 regular-season games, win three Stanley Cup championships in 1997, 1998 and 2002 (all with Detroit), win two Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward and the 1994 Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Fedorov was, of course, a central piece of the famed Russian Five, made up of Fedorov, Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Viacheslav Fetisov. The five Soviet-born players played together in Detroit beginning in 1995 and were a significant part of the team’s 1997 Stanley Cup victory.

Fedorov left the Red Wings in 2003, playing for Anaheim, Columbus and Washington to close out his career, but Fedorov’s best days were in Detroit. He ranks sixth in franchise history in points (954) and fourth in goals (400) while also being one of the greatest defensive forwards of his era.

For all those reasons, his place in Red Wings history has long been secure. But by retiring his number, that place will be in the Little Caesars Arena rafters for all to see.

“I’m extremely grateful for this tremendous honor,” Fedorov said in the press release. “Thank you to everyone with the Red Wings organization, especially those who helped bring me to Detroit and gave me the chance to play for such a historic franchise. I was fortunate to be part of some unforgettable teams, and above all, I’m proud of the three Stanley Cup championships we won for our amazing fans in Hockeytown. The memories made along the way — with legendary teammates, coaches, and exceptional ownership — will stay with me forever. Lastly, I want to thank Chris Ilitch for the call yesterday to share the news about retiring my number. It’s a moment I’ll always cherish. I can’t wait to see everyone in January.”

Why now?

The subject of retiring Fedorov’s jersey has been a hot topic among fans for years, growing loudest when the team last retired a number, raising Hall of Fame defenseman Red Kelly’s No. 4 to the rafters during the 2018-19 season.

Fedorov was already one of the greatest, most popular (and most historically significant) players in franchise history and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. For those reasons, he always seemed worthy of having his number retired in Detroit someday. By doing so, the Red Wings will formally put him in their most elite company.

The Red Wings are celebrating their centennial season in 2025-26. Though the anniversary is not the reason they’re retiring Fedorov’s number, honoring one of the defining players of an iconic era in a historic year for the franchise certainly adds a special element.

Who could be next?

The Red Wings don’t retire jersey numbers lightly, with only nine in the team’s 100-year history: Terry Sawchuck’s No. 1, Kelly’s No. 4, Lidstrom’s No. 5, Ted Lindsay’s No. 7, Gordie Howe’s No. 9, Alex Delvecchio’s No. 10, Sid Abel’s No. 12, Steve Yzerman’s No. 19 and now Fedorov’s No. 91.

But with that said, two more strong candidates could be on the horizon. Pavel Datsyuk (No. 13) and Henrik Zetterberg (No. 40) rank among the top seven in franchise history in points, and the top eight in goals. They were driving forces on the Red Wings’ 2008 Stanley Cup team. Datsyuk was also part of the 2002 Cup team and was a 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, while Zetterberg was the team’s captain from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.

Both played every game of their NHL careers for the Red Wings, and while Datsyuk was technically traded to Arizona in 2016, he never played a game for the Coyotes and signed a symbolic one-day contract last season to formally end his career as a Red Wing.

Given the time passed between the end of Fedorov’s career and his jersey retirement (and between Kelly and Fedorov’s jersey retirements), it’s unclear when the team will next consider adding a number to the rafters. But if and when they do, Datsyuk and Zetterberg stand out as strong candidates for the honor somewhere down the line.

(Photo: Craig Melvin / Getty Images)