Detroit Red Wings: Ruslan Salei's Top 3 Career Highlights

The Detroit Red Wings, the NHL and the hockey world lost a bunch of great men today in a KHL plane crash.

Among them, Ruslan Salei, formerly of the NHL.

Salei played 14 seasons in the NHL, his final season (and last game ever) he spent with the Detroit Red Wings.

Salei will always be remembered for his "team player" attitude and his excellence in shot blocking and hitting.

Although it is appropriate, and indeed necessary to mourn the death of Salei, I thought I would go back and celebrate his career by picking out his top three moments of his NHL career.

Although Salei may never put on the skates again, these moments on ice speak volumes about who he was as a hockey player and as a person.

Without further delay, here are three top moments in Ruslan Salei's career.

1. Being Drafted in the 1st Round, 9th Overall by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks

It is the dream of any young hockey player to be drafted by an NHL team.

When that young hockey player is drafted in the first round, that amplifies the dream even further.

Salei was drafted in the first round, ninth overall by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

This was definitely one of his career highlights.

Some analysts might argue that Salei was a disappointment for the "Mighty" Ducks, but upon watching him play, he did exactly what he was drafted to do: be a stay-at-home defenseman.

Salei's ability to be physical in front of the net while usually staying out of the box made him a great defender to have in front of the net.

2. 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are something that every hockey player dreams of as a little kid.

Making it there, however, is only half of the battle. Coming out with less than a Stanley Cup is usually considered a failure for higher seeded teams.

But in 2003, the seventh-seeded Anaheim Mighty Ducks up-ended the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings, stealing the first two games in Joe Louis Arena.

They proceeded to finish off the series with a sweep, and after a seven-game series with Vancouver and a sweep of Minnesota in the conference finals, they found themselves playing a New Jersey Devils team for the Stanley Cup.

Salei was a part of that team, and chipped in two goals and three assists during those playoffs.

Although Anaheim went on to lose in seven games, the run that they had that year will not be forgotten, especially by Detroit fans like myself.

3. 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, Scoring the Overtime Winner in Game 3

I already mentioned that Salei had five points that playoff season in 2003.

But the biggest moment of his career came in overtime of Game 3 of the finals.

Tied at 2-2 with the New Jersey Devils up in the series 2-0, Salei found the puck on his stick off of an offensive zone face off.

He threw it at the net and gave the Ducks their first ever win in a Stanley Cup Finals game.

Scoring in a Stanley Cup playoff game is memorable enough in itself, but there's nothing like the feeling of scoring an overtime winner and being mobbed by one's teammates.

Gone, but Never Forgotten

This summer has truly been a challenge for hockey fans everywhere.

The passing of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak was tough enough to deal with individually.

But Salei's death, along with former Red Wings assistant coach Brad McCrimmon and countless other hockey players in the Lokomotiv crash, is almost too much to swallow at once.

Salei only played one season in a Red Wings uniform, but he brought the grit, nastiness and determination that seemed to be lacking from the Wings' blue line for a few seasons.

His presence on the ice, as well as his self-evident care and love for his children, wife and family as a whole will be greatly missed this upcoming season, and for the years to come.

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