09/21/2006

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
New Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny Markov, right, keeps the puck away from Brendan Brooks.

Markov makes mark rattling the opposition

Wings say he's like Konstantinov

BY JAMES COOK

jcook@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — It seems that no matter who you ask on the Detroit Red Wings about Danny Markov, one name always comes up: Vladimir Konstantinov.

The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Markov is neither the biggest nor fastest NHL defenseman, but his teammates have nothing but positives to say about him, even if he may have gotten under their skin while he played for Toronto, Phoenix, Carolina, Philadelphia and Nashville in his eight-year NHL career.

And that skill is what reminds many Red Wing players of Konstantinov.

"He's a gritty player, an in-your-face type of player," Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios said of Markov. "He'll probably play against the other team's top line. It's not so much the big hits, but he's always agitating players. He basically compares to a Konstantinov, that kind of player."

"He's an agitator. That's what he does. He upsets guys and ribs guys and throws them off his game. You know he's out there, and if he gets a chance to hit you, he will."

Essentially, he's the kind of guy you're glad is on your team and not playing against you.

"I don't like to talk about myself," Markov said.

Luckily, his teammates don't mind.

"We know come regular season what we're going to get," Wings forward Kirk Maltby said. "He plays exactly like Vladimir. Very physical, very tough to play against. He's makes it miserable for other teams to go in the corners and in front of the net. He's a smart player."

Konstantinov became a fixture for the Wings in his tenure and was one of the team's more popular players for his style of play that often drew retaliatory penalties from the opposition.

At 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, the somewhat undersized Konstantinov didn't hesitate to irritate opposing players much larger in stature.

While hockey players have only gotten bigger in the days since Konstantinov suffered debilitating brain injuries in a limousine crash six days after Detroit's 1996-97 Stanley Cup win, Markov fits in the Konstantinov mold.

"There's some similarities to Vlady," Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He's tough to play against. He'll step up and hit guys. He'll be a good addition to our team."

"He's a strong skater and he's got good timing when he's hitting players. He'll hit anyone. He doesn't care who it is, he'll step up and hit anyone. That's what we saw with Vlady, too."

And Wings fans at training camp didn't get to see the real Markov yet.

A player with his style on the ice doesn't unleash it on his teammates too often, and Markov was also slowed in camp by the flu.

"The fans of Detroit are really going to enjoy watching him play," Maltby said. "They're going to see a player that's just like Vlady."

Maltby said Markov hasn't gotten into it with anyone in practice yet.

"We're used to playing against Tomas (Holmstrom) in practice, and Tomas can be a bit of a pain, too," Maltby joked.

Markov and Dominik Hasek were the team's two biggest free agent additions, with Markov's one-year, $2.5 million contract the bigger of the two because Hasek's deal is full of incentive clauses.

Losing Jiri Fischer last year to a heart condition 22 games into the campaign handcuffed Detroit on defense and an injury cost Niklas Kronwall 53 games.

"Last year, we lost Fischer and then Kronwall," Wings GM Ken Holland said. "We liked our defense and our depth and then we lost that depth. Adding Markov, getting Kronwall back, another year of experience for (Brett) Lebda, and we'd like to think where we're back to where we can play seven defensemen."

Markov's biggest year offensively was 2001-02 for Toronto, when he scored six goals and had 30 points.

And despite his physical style of play, he's never had more than 67 minutes of penalties in any NHL season.

"If I have a good chance to hit people, I hit them," Markov said. "If I don't have a good chance to hit, I don't hit them. That's how I play."

Markov was a teammate with current Red Wing Greg Johnson last year in Nashville, and the two were on same penalty-killing unit.

Johnson's status with Detroit is up in the air, as he didn't participate in training camp after failing his physical in Traverse City. The center had 19 points for the Predators last season and is in his second tour of duty with the Wings, signing as a free agent in August, only 21 days after Markov.

Holland said Johnson's status should be cleared up very soon when doctor's reports come back.