What better way to throw a birthday party for Vladimir Konstantinov than at a hockey game?
There will be some familiar faces on hand for Konstantinov’s 56th birthday, part of which he will spend dropping the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff for the Detroit Red Wings alumni game against a team representing The Well Church in Brighton.
The annual fund-raising game will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at 140 Ice Den in Howell. The game will be preceded by a game at 12:30 p.m. between 30-and-over alumni from Brighton and Hartland, two Livingston County rivals who played last week in the state Division 1 semifinals.
This will be the second year in a row that Konstantinov has made an appearance at the game.
Konstantinov was a star defenseman known for his punishing hits for the Red Wings’ 1997 Stanley Cup championship team. Six days after the team won its first Stanley Cup in 42 years, Konstantinov was paralyzed and suffered lifelong head injuries when he, teammate Slava Fetisov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov were passengers in a limousine that crashed. The driver, Richard Gnida, fell asleep at the wheel and had evidence of marijuana in his blood.
Konstantinov is expected to stay for one period Sunday before leaving, organizer Scott DesAutel said. Konstantinov will not be signing autographs, but his foundation sent autographed photos that can be purchased for $50. Other Red Wings alumni will sign for free during the intermission.
“It’s Vlady’s birthday,” DesAutel said. “We will be singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and have a big cake for Vlady, having him blow candles out on the ice. We’re trying to make him have a really good day with this.”
The Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust will be among the beneficiaries of the game. The others are Livingston County Habitat for Humanity, Livingston County Shop With a Cop and North Star Reach.
Tickets cost $10 and are available at thewellmi.com or at the door. The $60 VIP tickets, which includes dinner and an auction, have sold out.
The game has been held in Brighton and Hartland since its inception in 2010. This will be the first time it’s taken place in Howell.
“We couldn’t get a date and a time for Brighton like we normally do,” DesAutel said. “The owner of the Ice Den has been bugging me for two years to bring the game there and I said, ‘Let’s try it.’ I think it will work out pretty well there. It’s a little bit small. They promised they can get 1,100 people in there without the fire marshal causing too big an issue.”
The alumni game between Brighton and Hartland is also a new addition to the event. DesAutel played hockey at Hartland, graduating in 1987. He was an assistant coach at Brighton in the 1990s.
“Both teams have a bit of my heart with them,” DesAutel said. “I feel drawn to both of them. I said, ‘Hey, what if we were to do this?’ The guys from both sides said it would be fun to put on the jersey again. I’m bummed I can’t play in both. I’ve got too much going on that Sunday. I’m playing for The Well against the Red Wings like I always do.”
DesAutel was purposeful in not getting more recent alumni to play for Brighton and Hartland.
“When you go younger, it gets a little bit too competitive,” he said. “I don’t want slashing or anything like that. It’s a charity game and we’re a church.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.