06 | December | 2009 | Russkiy Hockey

Full name: Igor Nikolaevich Larionov
Last Team: New Jersey Devils
Number: 8
Position: Center
Height: 5’10″/175 kg
Weight: 170 lbs/77 kg
Shoots: Left
Born: December 3, 1960 in Voskresensk, RUS
Drafted: Selected by Vancouver Canucks in 11th round (214th overall) of the 1985 Entry Draft

Strengths: After more than twenty-five years of playing hockey, Larionov was still one of the best passers. He was a great leader on-ice and one of the most intelligent hockey players.

Weaknesses: In his later seasons, Larionov became a slower skater. Also, he was not a frequent goal-scorer at the NHL level.

Biography: Igor Larionov grew up in Voskresensk, a factory town not far from Moscow. Larionov was good enough to have made it to the local team Khimik at the age of seventeen. From 1977 to 1981, Igor played for his home team, scoring 73 points in 123 games. Larionov wanted to serve his two-year term in the army and return to play home, but Central Red Army coach Viktor Tikhonov did everything in his power to have Larionov on his team. In 1979 and 1980, Larionov was on the Soviet teams that won the World Junior Championship. As a member of CSKA for eight seasons, Larionov became one of the highlights of the Soviet hockey program. He was the center of the famous “KLM” line with Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. Every year, Larionov’s team was the USSR’s champion. During this span, Igor was a five-time all-star and in 1988 the Soviet Player of the Year. Larionov was also one of the best players at international tournaments. He won the gold medal at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, and the World Championship in 1982, 1983, 1986, and 1989. In 1981, Igor helped the Soviet Union beat Canada for the Canada Cup. Along with teammate Slava Fetisov, Larionov fought for the right to continue his hockey career in the NHL. Despite being drafted in 1985, Larionov was permitted to join the Vancouver Canucks only in 1989. In the NHL, his hockey sense and creativity were only second to Wayne Gretzky’s. Igor spent three years in Vancouver, but due to contract problems between the Canucks and CSKA, Larionov left the NHL in 1992. He spent the next season playing for Lugano in Switzerland. Igor learned some Italian in the process. In 1993, Larionov returned to the NHL, but this time to the San Jose Sharks. He played with Sergei Makarov again. In October 1995, Larionov was traded to the Detroit Red Wings and joined fellow Russians Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov and Vlad Konstantinov. Larionov played a big part in helping the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup in 1997 and 1998. With Kozlov and Fetisov, Igor brought the Stanley Cup for the first time to Russia. He also brought it to his old hockey rink in Voskresensk. Larionov still played in international tournaments for Russia. He participated in the 1996 World Cup and won a bronze medal with Russia at the 2002 Olympics. In 1998, Larionov played in the NHL all-star game. After a short stint with the Florida Panthers in 2000, he returned to Detroit. Igor won his third Stanley Cup in 2002, but refused to retire. He brought the Cup to Russia again. In 2003-04, Igor played for the New Jersey Devils. He had a few problems with the coach, and his skill level decreased with age, forcing Igor to retire. On December 13, 2004, Larionov hosted an extravagant farewell game at Moscow’s Luzhniki arena. The match pitted Team Russia (a mix of past and current Russian stars, including Larionov himself, Fetisov, Nabokov, Fedorov, and Kovalchuk) versus Team World (Larionov’s former Detroit and New Jersey teammates, including Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, Chris Osgood, Scott Gomez, etc.) For the third period, Larionov and Steve switched teams and Russia won the entertaining game 6-5. In the post-game celebration, Larionov was awarded the Order of Friendship by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. This was a memorable end to the legendary hockey career of one of the most highly respected people in sports.

Club Stats:

Season	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
1977-78	Khimik Voskresensk	6	3	0	3		4
1978-79	Khimik Voskresensk	32	3	4	7		12
1979-80	Khimik Voskresensk	42	11	7	18		24
1980-81	Khimik Voskresensk	43	22	23	45		36
1981-82	CSKA Moscow	46	31	22	53		6
1982-83	CSKA Moscow	44	20	19	39		20
1983-84	CSKA Moscow	43	15	26	41		30
1984-85	CSKA Moscow	40	18	28	46		20
1985-86	CSKA Moscow	40	21	31	52		33
1986-87	CSKA Moscow	39	20	26	46		34
1987-88	CSKA Moscow	51	25	32	57		54
1988-89	CSKA Moscow	31	15	12	27		22
1989-90	Vancouver	74	17	27	44	-5	20
1990-91	Vancouver	64	13	21	34	-2	14
1991-92	Vancouver	72	21	44	65	+7	54
1992-93	HC Lugano (Swiss League)	24	10	19	29		44
1993-94	San Jose	60	18	38	56	+20	40
1994-95	San Jose	33	4	20	24	-3	14
1995-96	San Jose/Detroit	73	22	51	73	+33	34
1996-97	Detroit	64	12	42	54	+31	26
1997-98	Detroit	69	8	39	47	+14	40
1998-99	Detroit	75	14	49	63	+13	48
1999-00	Detroit	79	9	38	47	+13	28
2000-01	Florida/Detroit	65	9	31	40	-5	38
2001-02	Detroit	70	11	32	43	-5	50
2002-03	Detroit	74	10	33	43	-7	48
2003-04	New Jersey	49	1	10	11	+3	20

Totals	USSR League	457	204	230	434		295
Totals	NHL Reg. Season	921	169	475	644	+104	474
Totals	NHL Playoffs	150	30	67	97	+9	60

National Team Stats:

Year	Tournament	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1978	European U18	5	2	1	3	4
1979	World U20	5	2	4	6	8
1980	World U20	5	3	3	6	4
1981	Canada Cup	7	4	1	5	8
1982	World Championship	10	4	6	10	2
1983	World Championship	9	5	7	12	4
1984	Olympic Games	6	1	4	5	6
1985	World Championship	10	2	4	6	8
1986	World Championship	10	7	1	8	4
1987	World Championship	10	4	8	12	2
1987	Canada Cup	9	1	2	3	6
1988	Olympic Games	8	4	9	13	4
1989	World Championship	8	3	0	3	11
1996	World Cup	5	0	4	4	2
1998	Olympic Games	6	0	3	3	4

Totals	U18 Level	5	2	1	3	4
Totals	U20 Level	10	5	7	12	12
Totals	Senior Level	98	35	49	84	61