Larionov at home with Detroit

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001

By Lucas Aykroyd

When Igor Larionov was traded back to Detroit from Florida on 28 December 2000, you might say it was the end of a failed experiment in emigration.

The previous times when the canny Russian center packed his bags and left for a new home, it paid off.

Ending his illustrious career with CSKA Moscow to play for the Vancouver Canucks in 1989, he developed a feel for the NHL and showed flashes of the playmaking ability that earned him the nickname of the “Russian Wayne Gretzky.”

After a one-year hiatus in Switzerland, Larionov became the soul of the mid-1990’s San Jose Sharks. He teamed up with old linemate Sergei Makarov to perfect a free-flow style that took the Sharks two rounds into the 1994 playoffs as he racked up 18 points.

His Stanley Cup exploits with Detroit are too fresh in memory to bother recounting.

But something about the Florida Panthers didn’t suit him. After signing as a free agent on 1 July, he was expected to rekindle the chemistry with Pavel Bure that shone during the Russian Rocket’s drive to the Calder Trophy in 1991-92.

Instead, the Panthers started badly and then continued to struggle if they’d been swallowed by an alligator at the bottom of a Florida swamp.

With this messy situation, it’s not hard to see why Larionov waived his no-trade clause to return to the club where he’s enjoyed his greatest NHL success since the 1995-96 season. At age 40, it’s easier to fit into a system founded on veteran discipline and savvy, qualities prized by Head Coach Scotty Bowman, than it is to start over. And he’s back with a contender.

Center Sergei Fedorov is well aware of the value Larionov brings to Detroit. The former Hart Trophy winner couldn’t be happier to see his diminutive compatriot back in a red-and-white uniform.

“He’s a very, very good player,” says Fedorov. “He is always controlling the puck and seeing opportunities to score. He’s played a lot with Brendan Shanahan and Martin Lapointe, and he hits them with those passes so they can score. When we’re on the power play, he attracts lots of attention, but he can also dish the puck off. I think we were sort of looking for help in that area, because of the way we play the power play. We need a player like that. Also, five-on-five, he’s very effective because he can hold on to the puck as long as possible.

“I’ve played with Igor on the wing, and that was one of my best seasons. You just have to gain some speed and he’s going to dish it off to you, perfectly, on the tape, and there you go. You’ve got an opportunity to beat the defenseman one-on-one or get a good shot.”

Fedorov also appreciates Larionov’s leadership abilities: “He’s definitely one of the leaders on this team. He proves it, not only by speaking, but also by playing so well.”

Of course, Larionov’s pre-NHL glory days were in the 1980’s with the Soviet national team. He was a USSR First All-Star in 1983, 1986, 1987 and 1988. He won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, as well as countless World Championships.

But today, it’s a little tougher for him to keep tabs on the hockey doings back home. You can’t blame him if he’d prefer to avert his eyes. The last year was particularly disastrous for Russian hockey, with an 11th place finish at the World Championships in St. Petersburg and no medals at the 2001 World Junior Championships in Moscow either.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Larionov said. “I spend eleven months a year in North America. Slava Fetisov would be a helpful guy with the Russian Federation, it’s true, but that country is unpredictable. You never know what will happen.”

How about a revival of the classic puck control-oriented style of the Soviet teams of the 1970’s and 1980’s?

“Well, if you want to bring that kind of hockey back, you need to bring back Makarov and Krutov, too!” Larionov joked. “A lot of our guys have played in the National Hockey League for the last ten years, and it’s changed their style of play.”

But in the category of the “more things change, the more they stay the same,” the melody of the old Soviet anthem will now be played after Russian triumphs in international hockey, thanks to a decree by President Vladimir Putin. Not surprisingly, this wasn’t the best news as far as Larionov was concerned. He was a leader in fighting repressive policies among hockey officials in the last days of Communism.

“I’m not accepting that anthem,” Larionov said. “They may have changed it, but I’m not happy about it, that’s for sure.”

Another trip to the Stanley Cup with Detroit would keep him smiling, though.