The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage

An interweaving tale of five brilliant hockey players from the Soviet Union, brought to Detroit to help end a 40 year championship drought, and their lasting professional and personal impact on the ice hockey world. From the incredible daring-do of midnight clandestine meetings and defections to escape the iron curtain, through their revolutionary play on the ice, to the men behind the jerseys, Keith Gave delivers the complete story of the NHL Detroit Red Wings' legendary Russian Five. Author Keith Gave reveals how his own clandestine background, a new owner's unflinching drive to put together a championship hockey team, and five extraordinarily talented but seemingly out-of-reach Soviet players worked together to create a revolutionary and lasting imprint on the NHL. Read how ties to the Miracle On Ice, the dominating Red Army hockey machine, incredible skill and personal perseverance - together with extraordinary leadership - enabled the Russian Five to help bring the Stanley Cup to Detroit in the late 1990s. Author Gave's warm telling of this story of triumph, and legitimate tragedy, is (of course) a must-read for hockey fans. This story rises beyond sport, however, with political intrigue, life-changing injuries, and human relationships playing key roles. Highly recommended.

This is not just a book for the hockey fan, though if you are one, it is a must read! If you have even a casual interest in things like political intrigue, corruption and bribery, the power of wealth in sports or the heart and mind of the pro athlete, this book will not disappoint. And in the middle of all of that, there are some surprising emotional tugs and pulls as the stories of the individuals involved are told. There are quite a few surprises in this book. The extent to which the Detroit Red Wings and the Ilitch dynasty went to secure some of the world's best hockey players from behind the Iron Curtain was shocking. The KGB was involved, members of the Russian medical establishment were bought off as were numerous other high powered Soviet officials, and Ilitch money was handed out liberally. The accounts of the Stanley Cup runs during the heyday of the Russian Five brought back a ton of memories for us here in Detroit during that time. Most of them are very good, a few of them are awfully bad. Of course, the sudden and tragic end of Vladimir Konstantinov's career only a few days after the Wings brought home their first Cup in 42 years was the saddest. And yep, I got a bit choked up reading about it again. I loved watching that guy play. Being reminded that it only lasted a few years for us was bitter sweet. The book comes out near the time related the documentary film is released. I just purchased tickets and can't wait to see it! By the way, treat yourself and read the epilogue too. The personal stories the author (my brother) relates are insightful and warm, and are a satisfying end to a good story well told!

Very entertaining and full of fascinating stories about a time of great change in the NHL, Detroit and even the world at large. Why not 5 stars? Because the book feels a bit more like each chapter is its own feature story in a newspaper than a connection, and extension, of the previous chapter. To this point, some of the stories are shared multiple times in the book in relation to different events. Still, a fun, easy and quick read.

I admit, even though I live in the Detroit area and remember the Stanley Cup parades after the ‘97 and ‘98 wins, I’m not big hockey fan. But my book club selected this book and I found it very interesting. It was almost more of an academic read for me. I even wrote notes on the various, long Russian names with notes on each to help keep everything (and everyone) straight as I got thru the book! But it was worth it. My own grandparents were Polish immigrants and their efforts to leave Communist Poland were not easy. It was very interesting to me to read the efforts that went into getting these players out of Russia. I recommend this book on so many levels! You will learn about escapes from Communism, how the various people come together to create a team (GM, VP, Coach, Players, etc.), details of the accident that broke up the Russian 5 ... and most importantly, this book takes you right into the exciting games. I recommend you also see the movie - The Russian 5. It’s more of a documentary and pulls everything in the book together to show you the excitement of the games.

As a Detroit Red Wings and hockey fanatic, I inhaled this book. Not only for the sentimental factor but because I had no idea of all that went into the Red Wings procuring those five outstanding players who made the championships possible. As a beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, Keith Gave had a front row seat for it all and was even on the stage itself for part of the effort. His writing style is real easy and conversational. He answers a lot of questions, namely what has happened to these five since. Of course there is plenty of tragedy to describe along with the triumph, namely Vladdie Konstantinov’s and our team masseuse’s horrible car accident and subsequent paralysis. Needless to say, this is a must-read for diehard hockey and Wings fans from the 1990’s.

Just starting the final chapter of "The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage" by Keith Gave. What a roller coaster ride! As an Avid Wings Fan, I remember the moments in the story that were public. The view from the inside were amazing. Keith Gave had a remarkable inside view of this glorious and saddening chapter of Hockeytown history! These last chapters were heart wrenching...Konstaninov's story, and it's effect on the team, were both painful to read and enlightening. If you are a Hockey Fan, read this. If you are Red Wings fan, read it many times! I can't wait to see the Documentary that will be premiering this month in Detroit! Incredible writing, incredible quotes from the Red Wings greats through-out the story. 5 stars to Keith! 10 to the Wings and their support to the Russian 5!

This is a must-own for fans of hockey, whether you like Detroit or not (however, if you do, you should already own this!). That story is great and the author does not rush the intensity and the interesting sub-stories within. Plenty of re-read value as well. I usually like to have 2-3 books on the go at once to stay fresh in terms of topic and content, but with this book, it is great to read as a solo, because the topics within are so different but connect in such an amazing way. I purchased a used copy at a great price and would for sure consider buying this again for someone else.

A brilliant read, a must for Ice Hockey Fans

Great story and well written. At the end of the book it gets a little repetitive, but it doesn't take away the greatness of these guys and the book itself.

You don’t have to be hockey fan to enjoy this story. Highly recommended for all sport and non-sport fans alike

I liked this book for the most part. The insight into how each of the five became Red Wings is very interesting, as is each one's back story. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the writer, whom I had read for many years in the Detroit Free Press. However, it does start to get a bit monotonous as the book moves along where it seems that all the credit for the Red Wings success was due to the Russian Five, forgetting that there were other Hall of Famers playing and coaching at the same time. All in all it was worth the read.