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Why has Chris Ilitch not stepped in to assist Vladimir Konstantinov?

Hockeyfan2390

Registered User
Nov 19, 2010
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Kansas City, MO
"Anastasia Konstantinov started a GoFundMe three years ago to help pay for her father’s care, but it has raised less than 10% of its $250,000 goal. The Red Wings and NHL Players’ Association are also exploring ways to help maintain Konstantinov’s home care."

apnews.com

New law puts NHL great Konstantinov's 24/7 care in jeopardy

Former Detroit Red Wings star Vladimir Konstantinov is in danger of losing the round-the-clock medical care he has had since he nearly died in a 1997 limousine crash while celebrating the team's championship.
apnews.com apnews.com


We all know that Chris Ilitch is a cheapskate and is guilty of one of the biggest betrayals of the public trust with the failed District Detroit, but this is a new low. The fact that the family of one of the best players in team history was forced to set up a GoFundMe so that he can continue to have basic medical care is yet another shameful stain on Chris; Mike never would have allowed this.
 
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This is bad and I actually had no idea.
I wanna give to that go fund me but idk if I can really help out much.

Idk what's really going on or why it hasn't happened yet but hopefully the right thing is done.
 
That's a failure of the US govt, not of Chris Ilitch. How many people that get themselves into a similar situation never make the news and get forgotten by society? Why aren't we helping all of them?

Imagine living in such a shithole country that you can be victim of a terrible accident and then have to pay millions of dollars to healthcare CEOs for the rest of your life just to maintain some minimum standard of living.
 
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TheOtherOne said:
That's a failure of the US govt, not of Chris Ilitch. How many people that get themselves into a similar situation never make the news and get forgotten by society? Why aren't we helping all of them?

Imagine living in such a shithole country that you can be victim of a terrible accident and then have to pay millions of dollars to healthcare CEOs for the rest of your life just to maintain some minimum standard of living.
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Yeah, all of this.
 
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The only reason I can think of is it would set a bad precedent. Not that I think it’s right, but that is the dilemma he faces is if he does it for Vladdy, he will have to do it for other Red Wings in the future
 
Hockeyfan2390 said:
What about them?
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What do you mean what about them? That a serious question? His gofundme couldn't even make 10% of the 250k goal. I mean if i was a multimillionaire and one of my former teammates was having that kind of trouble i'd step in and help out. I know of NHL players that have donated 250k to help someone in their hometown that they didn't even know. This was their teammate and friend. 20 or so ex teammates that 90% of them are still making money couldn't pull together 250k?
 
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better Red than Dead said:
The only reason I can think of is it would set a bad precedent. Not that I think it’s right, but that is the dilemma he faces is if he does it for Vladdy, he will have to do it for other Red Wings in the future
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Yup, we're not talking a one time payment, it's $200k PER YEAR. Now if every player expected lifetime payout for injuries occurred off the ice then the team would never make any money. The payout to Vlad alone will wind up being in the millions depending on how long he lives.

There's really no reason to bash Chris for this. He inherited a team, he's not an insurance policy.
 
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Instead of complaining that some millionaire isn't giving their money to help out, maybe vote for people who want to improve your healthcare system? Vladdy will be okay, it even says that the Wings and the NHLPA are working at ways to help out. But what about all the people who aren't famous former players?
 
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Pavels Dog said:
Instead of complaining that some millionaire isn't giving their money to help out, maybe vote for people who want to improve your healthcare system? Vladdy will be okay, it even says that the Wings and the NHLPA are working at ways to help out. But what about all the people who aren't famous former players?
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Well I'm not worried about them, they didn't play for my favorite hockey team, hipcheck Claude Lemieux, and then win a Stanley Cup. They can get their help from the billionaires who own the corporations they used to work at. Hell, I'm sure fans of those corporations are raising hell about it on message boards dedicated to those corporations right now.
 
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Hockeyfan2390 said:
"Anastasia Konstantinov started a GoFundMe three years ago to help pay for her father’s care, but it has raised less than 10% of its $250,000 goal. The Red Wings and NHL Players’ Association are also exploring ways to help maintain Konstantinov’s home care."

apnews.com

New law puts NHL great Konstantinov's 24/7 care in jeopardy

Former Detroit Red Wings star Vladimir Konstantinov is in danger of losing the round-the-clock medical care he has had since he nearly died in a 1997 limousine crash while celebrating the team's championship.
apnews.com apnews.com


We all know that Chris Ilitch is a cheapskate and is guilty of one of the biggest betrayals of the public trust with the failed District Detroit, but this is a new low. The fact that the family of one of the best players in team history was forced to set up a GoFundMe so that he can continue to have basic medical care is yet another shameful stain on Chris; Mike never would have allowed this.
Click to expand...

This isn't a new low. As was said earlier, this is a blight on the US government policies, not Olympia Entertainment or Chris Ilitch.

Listen, it sucks that Vladdy had that happen to him. It's complete trash that the wastrel Gnida got drunk and got into that wreck. Vladdy and Co did everything right when they were drinking and partying to be responsible and they got screwed over. But, that was something that happened outside of their employment with Olympia Entertainment and the Detroit Red Wings. Frankly, any support the Ilitches provide to Vladdy should be lauded instead of using the fact that they're not as a cudgel against them. It would be like if I slipped off my roof and landed on my head... would I expect my employer to foot my bills even after I'm severed? I didn't do it in service of them.

Mike Ilitch absolutely would have allowed this, because Vladdy's been in at-home care since the late 1990s and do you remember hearing about the Wings paying his bills before?

I know y'all hate Chris Ilitch, but this is such a shitty way to try to score "Chris is dong water" points. Keep it to District Detroit, the fact that he seems to be sprinkling salaries with an eyedropper on the Tigers and other relevant items. Not providing hundreds of thousands to millions in direct financial support to Vladimir Konstantinov should not rate anywhere on the list of "Chris Ilitch sucks as a person").

Lastly, the Wings donated a good chunk of money to the founations for Vladdy and Sergei M back when it happened and they with the NHLPA are still working at solutions to help out. Directly picking up bills for former players opens up a massive Pandora's box that the league, the teams, and frankly, the public don't want opened.
 
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Oddbob said:
Would Mike have? Mike was still alive when when Vlad was struggling.
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He would not have. I know the current trend now is "Mr. I angel, Chris devil".

But come on. Mr. I let Scherzer walk because he had the audacity to turn down 6/144 (a ludicrous underpayment as shown by him getting 7/210 from Washington later that offseason), he let Sergei Fedorov walk because he offered 5/50 and Fedorov said "I need time to think about it".
 
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Lil Sebastian Cossa said:
He would not have. I know the current trend now is "Mr. I angel, Chris devil".

But come on. Mr. I let Scherzer walk because he had the audacity to turn down 6/144 (a ludicrous underpayment as shown by him getting 7/210 from Washington later that offseason), he let Sergei Fedorov walk because he offered 5/50 and Fedorov said "I need time to think about it".
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Well, Chris could sell the Wings and Tigers, and give 200% of the profits to all former players in financial trouble, plus he would still have a 66 ¾ chance of being a better person in the future!
 
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Mike Ilitch was a pretty damn good professional sports owner. He was not a saint though. A lot of what Chris gets shit for these days had its genesis under Mike; mainly, the run-up to LCA and District Detroit in terms of investing in large amounts of land that sat vacant for years leaving a crime-riddled Cass Corridor, expansive subsidies and taxpayer money from a bankrupt city to prioritize Ilitch/Olympia ventures over everything else, and just generally taking advantage of a city that long-suffered from corruption and incompetence to expand his family's vast wealth.

He was very opportunistic. And his love for sports, which endeared him to many, allowed him cover when it came to the shadier sides of his opportunism. The Tigers and Red Wings were always a convenient distraction when it came to Ilitch business dealings where the city of Detroit was just continuously being taken advantage of.
 
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LeftWingLocked said:
His father would have written the check with no questions asked. This guy wouldn't give a free hot dog to a starving kid.
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Not true.
Jesus. Mike Ilitch spent on things he wanted to spend on.
Anyway - with changes to autoinsurance - the Konstantinovs should go after the Ilitches since this was a team event.

And while I agree with criticism of US health care (or lack of it), the kind of care that Vladdie is getting is not your basic service - and is likely far superior to the kind of service available in countries with gov't health care services.
 
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TheOtherOne said:
That's a failure of the US govt, not of Chris Ilitch. How many people that get themselves into a similar situation never make the news and get forgotten by society? Why aren't we helping all of them?

Imagine living in such a shithole country that you can be victim of a terrible accident and then have to pay millions of dollars to healthcare CEOs for the rest of your life just to maintain some minimum standard of living.
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1000%

I'm so tired of seeing "heartwarming" stories of people donating to someone's GoFundMe for medical bills when really it's totally sad and f***ed that it comes to that for so many.

More to the topic, I no longer live in Detroit but have noticed Chris Illitch seems to be painted as a villain. but as Jaster pointed out Mike Illitch was hardly a saint, particularly when it came to LCA and the city of Detroit. He was overall a great owner of the Red Wings but you don't amass that kind of wealth without doing some awful things.
 
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Can someone explain to me how the whole District Detroit area not materializing happens?

Anytime I have ever heard of a city building a new stadium and creating a new development around it, that is exactly what ends up happening.

How do you just not fulfill that? (I am not from the area, sorry if this is a dumb question)
 
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