The Hottest Import in Detroit : It’s Sergei Fedorov of the Red Wings, Who Say He Can Get Even Hotter

Sergei Fedorov has always been a good student.

He was taught to play defense by a master, the legendary Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov, and he was voted the NHL’s best defensive forward last season.

Fedorov studied American culture before he left his native Russia five years ago, and his English now flows as naturally as his long, powerful strides. In Detroit, he learned the importance of playing hard every night by watching Red Wing teammates Steve Yzerman and Mark Howe, who last season declared him the fastest, steadiest skater they had seen.

The lesson he’s learning this season might be the most difficult: That while it may be easy to reach the top, it’s infinitely harder to stay there.

“When he’s going, he can be the most dominant player in the league. When he’s going, “ Detroit defenseman Paul Coffey said. “The sky’s the limit for Sergei. He’s got enough talent to be the best player every night. But it doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to work every night. You’ve got to work in practice. The best players on every team are the ones that work the hardest.”

That’s not to say Fedorov is playing badly or that he’s lazy. With 14 goals and 27 points in 22 games, he is second on the Red Wings in scoring to Coffey, and his speed and ability to anticipate passes make Detroit’s penalty-killing unit the NHL’s most successful.

But what may be praiseworthy in lesser players is not acceptable from Fedorov, not after he scored 56 goals and had 120 points last season and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward and the Lester Pearson Award, given by members of the NHL Players Assn. to the season’s outstanding performer.

“At some point, there’s pressure,” Fedorov said. “I try to concentrate on my game and try to work hard and do what I did last year and make sure we win some games. It’s pretty simple for me.

“The better you play, the harder you must work. The better you play, the more is expected of you and you have to carry a greater share of the load.”

Fedorov, 25, will be judged on what he accomplishes this season as much as on his feats of a year ago.

“He’s a good hockey player, but he can play better, plain and simple--and he will,” said Jimmy Devellano, the Red Wings’ senior vice president who shares the general manager’s duties with Coach Scotty Bowman. “It’s hard to put a finger on it. There’s the lockout and the shortened season and all the awards he won last year. That can screw up your head a little bit.”

Coffey, recognizing Fedorov’s skills, hopes his teammate won’t settle for being merely good when he might be great.

“I think Sergei has still got a bit of a problem believing he’s in the category of the top players in the league,” Coffey said. “Other people might disagree, but I think he was a little intimidated last year, going head to head with Wayne (Gretzky) in the scoring race. I think if he might have stepped it up a notch, he might have won the thing.”

Fedorov’s emergence was hastened by a neck injury that idled Yzerman for 26 games. Told by Bowman he had to carry the team--and that it was OK to be selfish and to shoot more--Fedorov responded superbly. The Red Wings finished first in the Central Division and led the NHL with 356 goals. Fedorov was briefly ahead of Gretzky in scoring before finishing 10 points behind the Kings’ center.

Coupled with the four-year, $11.7-million contract he signed in December 1993, it was a dream season.

“I never thought about (winning) anything, then all of a sudden I was invited to go to Toronto for the award ceremonies,” Fedorov said. “I was nominated for quite a few trophies and it was a very exciting experience for me. I was very happy I took my family with me.”

His year was capped by his first trip to Russia since 1990, when he left the Soviet hockey team without permission during the Goodwill Games. Unsure how he would be received, he agreed to play there in a series organized by Russian standout Viacheslav Fetisov during the NHL owners’ lockout.

He said he discovered how valiantly Russians were struggling every day, and also rediscovered the thrill of playing with Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, his former linemates with the Central Red Army club. They were expected to be the next great Soviet line, in the tradition of the fabled KLM trio of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, but all were lured away by NHL dollars.

“It was scary but an exciting experience to go back, and it was great to play with Alex and Pavel,” Fedorov said. “In Russia, there were many changes. There were many sad things but lots of new business going on too. . . .

“I follow the news and I talk to my grandparents a little bit. Things are not very good for Russian people, especially the people outside of Moscow and Leningrad, the big cities. People are thinking so much just about how to survive because prices have been raised. I am very sad, but it’s one of those things Russia has got to go through again.”

He believes Russia will continue to produce quality players, perhaps in smaller numbers than before.

“Russian young players, they don’t see the generation before them, so it’s hard for them to learn,” he said. “I learned from watching Larionov, Makarov, (Andrei) Khomutov, (Viacheslav) Bykov and (Alexei) Kasatonov and I had the great chance to play with them. I was lucky to learn from those guys. But Pavel, me and Alex left, and maybe young guys don’t see us play together, so it’s tough for them to learn like we did.”

Fedorov still must learn how to achieve the consistency that lifted Gretzky and Mario Lemieux above their peers. No one doubts he can do so, if he wants to.

“It’s not for lack of work,” said Bill Barber, the Philadelphia Flyers’ director of pro scouting and a Hall of Fame forward. “Everyone is keying in on him now. . . . It’s very difficult to expect a player to be at a real high level all season. . . . He has unbelievable skill and is a great two-way player. That’s what I admire about him: his efforts at both ends of the ice. You don’t find that often these days.”

With a veteran defense, balanced offense and solid goaltending, the Red Wings figure to be strong contenders for the Stanley Cup. They haven’t won it since 1955, the NHL’s longest drought, but Fedorov shook his head when asked if that streak will end this season. He didn’t have to respond, really. The answer will be apparent in how he plays.

“I never would like to predict anything,” he said. “I know one thing, that we have been not very successful in the past at winning two rounds. We want to get past the first round. That’s my goal.”