The Russian Five

Five former Soviet hockey players who wound up in Detroit in the 1990s and helped to catapult a beleaguered hockey franchise to the top of the summit played a pivotal role in that city’s celebrated comeback. They are The Russian Five, and while they changed their sport forever they also helped bridge rival cultures with their unique style of diplomacy. This is their remarkable story of espionage, defection, heartbreak and triumph – and remarkable courage after a fateful limo crash nearly killed one of them.

Keith Gave of Roscommon, MI

Keith Gave spent six years in the United States Army as a Russian linguist working for the National Security Agency during the Cold War. Nothing could have better prepared him for a career as a sports writer covering hockey for the Detroit Free Press. His 15 years with the newspaper were the highlight of a career spanning nearly four decades in the news industry. He also served as writer/producer for the soon-to-be-released documentary film, “The Russian Five.” He lives in Roscommon, Michigan, where he continues to write when he’s not sneaking off to cast a fly to the trout on his home waters of the Au Sable River.