Had he not been the victim of a drunk driver, I believe he was on a path to the HOF. ["Konstantinov was more than a pest, as some had taken to calling him; he was a skilled player. He earned the NHL Plus/Minus Award in 1995–96, with a plus/minus difference of plus-60. The +60 has been the highest rating a player has finished with in the past 20 seasons, since Wayne Gretzky finished with a +70 in the 1986–87 NHL season. In 1996–97, his final season, Konstantinov was runner-up [[to Brian Leetch) for the Norris Trophy, given to the league's best defenseman." from his wiki]

I always thought the HOF should take into consideration the commie era Soviet careers of players like him who had couldn't play in the NHL until the change. It is almost like the redress baseball made with the denied Negro League stars. The great goalie Vladislav Tretiak should be at the top of that list.

Vlad is only 43 now and with his toughness would probably be winding up an HOF career.