Ex-teammates praise Larionov

by Helene St.James - - Detroit Free Press

But when Holmstrom joined the Wings in 1996, his teammates included Larionov, who by then had won eight straight Russian League Championships with CSKA Moscow in the Soviet Elite League, had been named player of the year in 1988, and had won eight gold medals in international play, including Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988. With the Wings, Larionov would win three Stanley Cups.

Today Larionov, 48, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, an honor his former teammates deem highly warranted.

"For sure, he deserves it," Holmstrom said. "I remember when I came here, he still had the puck-handling skills. He never dumped the puck; he just turned around and came back again. I learned a lot from him."

While playing in the Soviet Union, Larionov was a member of the KLM line with Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. In Detroit, Larionov would become part of a similarly famous group, forming the Russian Five with Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov.

"I'll never forget the Russian Five when they first started playing together," Kris Draper said. "Everyone on the bench was just, 'Wow." We couldn't believe they were playing on the same ice as we were, playing against the same guys, and yet they were so different, especially Igor with the puck. He would always seem to slow things down. Unbelievable passer, and you just can't say enough about the vision that he had out there on the ice. He was a huge part of our success and us winning Stanley Cups."

Larionov played for the Wings for eight seasons. In 2002, at 41, he became the oldest player to score in a Cup final game when he netted the winner in triple overtime in Game 3 against Carolina; a victory later, the Wings claimed the Cup.

"It was fun playing with him because he was so good with the puck," Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He was always available as an outlet for the D that had the puck. He was just a very, very smart player. He wasn't a big guy, but he was a strong skater, and he had quick hands, and he could make those passes that no one else saw were open."

Holmstrom played for a long stretch on a line with Larionov and Luc Robitaille, and roomed for two seasons with Larionov.

"We watched a lot of CNN, MSNBC, and all those news shows," Holmstrom said, smiling. "He liked to keep himself updated, so I had to live with that for a couple of years. He was one of my idols growing up -- we watched more the Russian national team than we watched the NHL, so I remember that line with Krutov, Larionov and Makarov, in the 70s and 80s. For sure it was neat I got a chance to play with him."