Slava was born in Moscow, Russia, on April 20, 1958. He was obtained by the Red Wings on April 3, 1995 from New Jersey for a third round pick in the 1995 Entry Draft. Last season, Slava tied his career high in points for his best NHL season since 1989-90. He was seventh on the club in assists and posted a career best plus 37. He played in his 400th career game on February 15 vs. Washington. He was plus or even in 59 of 69 games last season. In his career, Slava is a plus player in all seven of his NHL seasons. He was a longtime Captain of the Central Red Army Team, which he joined in 1974-75. He earned the Soviet "Honored Masters of Sport" award which is equivalent to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won the Gold Stick award as Europe's top player and the Soviet Player of the Year award three times. He was a nine-time Soviet All-Star and won the Pravda Trophy four times as the league's top-scoring defenseman. He played in three Olympics and won the Gold in 1984 and 1988, and also performed in eleven World Championships.
