When Ruslan Salei signed with the Red Wings earlier this month, one of the interesting storylines (if you even want to call it a storyline) was his history with new teammate Mike Modano. Back in 1999, Salei hit Modano from behind, causing him to go head first into the boards. Modano suffered some serious injuries as a result of the hit, including a broken nose, mild concussion and strained neck ligaments. As a result of the hit, Salei was suspended for 10 games.
↵With both Salei and Modano playing on the same team now, this hit was sort of the elephant in the room between the two. Although it has been quite some time since the hit, I doubt Modano has completely forgotten about it, so this is good news:
↵↵↵Ruslan Salei told reporters in Europe he will make a point to talk with Mike Modano and address the 1999 hit Salei laid on Modano that gave Modano a concussion, neck sprain. It was a scary play, and it's a good idea for Salei to talk to Modano.
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It's definitely a good idea for Salei to talk to Modano about it and make sure there are no hard feelings, and if there are, clear things up. Team chemistry is very important in hockey, and the last thing the Wings need is a potential conflict between two of their new players.
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