Sports Illustrated’s Jason Fink tells the tale of how the Detroit Red Wings attempted to draft Pavel Bure in the team’s remarkable 1989 draft, but were hoodwinked by the NHL, and, eventually, the Vancouver Canucks:
“With the 95th overall pick in the 1989 NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings select Pavel Bure.” That announcement never happened. But on June 17, 1989, it came remarkably close.
The Wings’ 1989 draft class became legendary anyway. But the Russian Rocket could have been a Red Wing if Detroit had pushed the matter and asked for forgiveness rather than permission.
Then-Red Wings general manager Jim Devellano had committed to building the Red Wings through the draft rather than sacrificing young players for veterans. Ironically, just two days before the draft, he made one of the worst deals in Red Wings history when he dealt center Adam Oates and winger Paul MacLean to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for aging star center Bernie Federko and winger Tony McKegney.
Oates would go on to amass over 1,200 points after he left Detroit and became one of the premier setup men in NHL history. Just ask Brett Hull and Cam Neely.
Devellano knew he had to find talent in places outside of North America, but he was very hesitant to jump into the deep end of the pool initially. Enter Alex Davidson.
Davidson, a Red Wings scout at the time, was in Devellano’s ear about an 18-year-old kid he watched play in Russia. As Keith Gave detailed in his book The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage, Davidson told Devellano about this can’t miss prospect who the Wings needed to put on their radar.
Devellano said, “I remember Alex Davidson coming to me and saying he saw the best 18-year-old player in the world, a guy named Fedorov. And I listened to him.” That guy named Fedorov was none other than future Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov, who turned out to be more than a guy. He won a Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP, and two Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward. Oh, and he also helped the Wings win three Stanley Cups. Not a bad resume for “a guy.”
