Konstantinov & Lidstrom 1991-92 OPC Premier Error Card

I recently picked up one of the rarest corrected error cards from hockey’s junk wax era: 1991-92 OPC Premier #118a Vladimir Konstantinov rookie card. The back incorrectly pictures fellow rookie Nicklas Lidstrom, a mistake that was corrected fairly quickly.

 

 

My copy is graded 9.5 gem mint by Beckett, with sub-grades of 9 for surface, 9.5 for centering, and 10s for edges and corners. A nice card for sure.

 

 

Konstantinov was a tough-hitting Russian defenseman drafted late in the 1989 draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He was part of “The Russian Five” which included Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Vyacheslav Kozlov. They helped the Red Wings capture the Stanley Cup in 1997.

 

Following a golf outing as part of celebrating the Cup win, Konstantinov was involved in a tragic limousine accident that cut short his career. He spent several weeks in a coma, and suffered from serious head injuries and paralysis.

 

The Red Wings won The Cup again in 1998, but Konstantinov was confined to a wheelchair and unable to ever play again. The team successfully requested to have his name engraved on the trophy, making Konstantinov a two-time Stanley Cup champion.