By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun
  Scotty Bowman pointed to the championship ring on his finger and Vladimir Konstantinov broke into a smile.

 "Red Wings," Konstantinov said to the delight of the head coach and a small group of team members who went to see the injured defenceman at a Boca Raton, Fla. rehab centre during the all-star break.

  "I thought he was doing very well," Bowman said of the star blueliner who suffered a career-ending head injury in the limousine crash in June. "He's verbalizing more. He was laughing a lot."

 Bowman, assistant Dave Lewis, trainer John Wharton and teammate Doug Brown made the trip south. Konstantinov walked 75 steps with the group, the longest he's walked since the accident. He was able to converse in one and two-word responses and feed himself.

 "We knew early on he'd never be the player he was," Wharton told Detroit reporters, "But as he inches forward toward that, we all get excited. It was so emotional for us, especially since (doctors) didn't think he'd get to this point.

 "He kept smiling and looking back while he was (walking) to make sure we were all watching. He was so proud."

 Konstantinov has been in Florida since Nov. 15, with his wife Irena and nine-year-old daughter Anastasia, undergoing occupational, physical and speech therapy. He's back to his playing weight of 197 pounds, after dipping as low as 155 after the accident.

 "It's the same Vladdie," an encouraged Brown said. "You see him crack a joke and his eyes are clear, but he's got miles and miles to go."

 The Wings intend to have a team dinner with Konstantinov during a Florida road trip prior to next month's Olympic break. It's unclear if he will be well enough to attend a White House ceremony next week when U.S. President Clinton will honor the Wings for their Cup achievement.