Vladislav Namestnikov has memories of being in the Detroit Red Wings’ locker room with his uncle, and has autographed hockey cards of those Stanley Cup-winning teams somewhere in his house.
Namestnikov moved to the Detroit area when he was four years old, which united him with his mother’s brother, Slava Kozlov. A year later, Namestnikov watched the Wings win the Stanley Cup. His love for the Wings never faded; when he was drafted at 27th overall in 2011 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he already had history with the general manager at the time, one Steve Yzerman.