As the greatest defenseman in the history of Russian hockey, Viacheslav Fetisov has had parallels drawn between himself and great American athletes. People who try to explain what Fetisov has accomplished might make a comparison to Michael Jordan leaving the NBA in his prime to go play ball in Europe.

But Michael Jordan didn't grow up in the communist Soviet Union.

	Slava Fetisov was able to play the system he developed in as part of the Red Wings' "Russian Five."

People might say that other Russians had to go through just as much to defect and come play hockey in the NHL. But other Russians weren't nearly as important as Fetisov.

Fetisov grew within the greatest hockey machine in the history of the world until he became the most important piece of that machine. His popularity within his country became the kind of celebrity even superstars here can't imagine. And his will to stand up to that machine helped free not only his teammates, but the people of his country.

"It is hard to explain what he has done, what he means," said longtime friend and Detroit Red Wings center Igor Larionov. "He was most important man in our country."

Fetisov will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday in Toronto. Words will be spoken and written in several languages, but it will be hard to capsulize exactly what Fetisov has done, exactly what he means. It simply might be too big.

"I can tell you that being in both places, his impact over there is simply unbelievable," said Scotty Bowman, who coached Fetisov to Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998 with the Red Wings. "I think we've seen a little of it over here, but you have to be over there to understand."

Fetisov played hockey for 23 years. The first 14 seasons were in the former Soviet Union, where Fetisov helped define the position of defenseman for a generation of players. As a member of CSKA Moscow -- also known as the mighty Central Red Army team -- he was nine times voted to the first All-Star Team in the Soviet League, three times was named player of the year and four times won the Leningradskaya-Pravda Trophy as the top scoring defenseman. What's more, he helped lead the Soviet National Team to seven gold medals in World Championships, two gold medals in the Olympics and a gold medal in the Canada Cup. He also received the Order of Lenin (the Soviet Union's highest honor) and the Olympic Order Medal from the International Olympic Committee, the highest honor given by that organization.

And because of that fame and that importance and that commitment to what he accomplished, Fetisov would not flee the Soviet Union or seek political asylum to play in the National Hockey League. He went before the Minister of Defense in 1988, stared down the system and asked for his freedom legitimately.

"It was like a big monster," Fetisov said.

Fetisov knew that if he left, the long arm of the Soviet government, falling or not, could reach his family, his friends, anyone he cared about. So it would not be good enough simply to seek his own freedom, he had to seek freedom for everyone.

"It was not just for hockey players, it was the people of Russia," he said. "They wanted to make their own choices, make their own mistakes."

When Fetisov earned a work visa, it opened the door for Russian players. Still, it was a leap of freedom that was difficult to take. Fetisov might have played in a restrictive system under a tyrant of a coach in Viktor Tikhonov, but he also played on what he believed was the greatest hockey team ever. He played with goalie Vladislav Tretiak. He played with Larionov and Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov -- the famed KLM line that helped defeat Canada, 8-1, in the final game of the 1981 Canada Cup.

So when he was drafted and signed by the Devils, the transition was difficult.

"There were times you felt all alone," he said.

	Winner of two Stanley Cups, Slava Fetisov orchestrated the trophy's first appearance in Russia.

Still, he pushed forward, gave his all to the Devils and eventually found happiness after a trade to the Red Wings in 1995. Ironically, that happiness too took patience. The Red Wings lost in the Stanley Cup finals that first season to, you guessed it, Fetisov's old team the Devils.

"I don't know that he was able to show everything he could when he was in New Jersey," Bowman said. "But when he came here, he was a good fit. He was good for us, and I think we were good for him, too."

Fetisov became a part of the "Russian Five" in Detroit as he and Larionov helped improve the games of youngsters Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov and Vladimir Konstantinov. The Russian Five often played as a unit and helped show people exactly what was learned under the old Soviet system. It was the kind of balance that Fetisov had been seeking -- a meshing of the new freedoms with the old values. It finally gave him a feeling of home.

Now, he's back in New Jersey as an assistant coach and was recently named the head coach of Russia's Olympic men's hockey team that will compete in February in Salt Lake City.

Though it's been more than 12 years since his departure from the Soviet Union, Fetisov still is fighting the old system. He said he has it written in his contract as coach that the Russian Hockey Federation has no power over him in his decision making. Once again, he has stood up to "the monster" when nobody else would.

And Fetisov believes he is doing the right thing. He doesn't hate Russia, he loves it. He doesn't want to bury the past, he wants to bring it back. But in doing so, he wants to raise up the good memories and put away the bad ones. In August in Moscow, he was feted in a tribute game and personally invited Tikhonov to be a part of the game.

"He's been part of my life," Fetisov said. "It's been 15 years and you have to be able to forgive."

And in that statement, you start to realize maybe just a little the kind of person Fetisov is, the kind of self-control he has. He pushed firmly, but didn't disrespect his country. He stood in front of his team and not apart from it. He listened to world chess champion and good friend Gary Kasparov and decided to do what was best for the country and not particularly what was best for himself.

You think for a second you know what he went through -- and that's good. But it's only a second. It was a lifetime for Fetisov, a lifetime that deserves to be honored.

Mike Heika is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News.