Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Igor+Larionov
The Direction Of The KHL
by Paul on 11/10/08 at 07:26 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League — considered to be the greatest threat to NHL stability since the WHA — is undergoing its own growing pains in its inaugural season, with teams missing payroll, uncertainty over the fate of its smaller franchises and worries about the possible impact of the growing world economic crisis on its well-moneyed backers, many of them who rely on high world oil prices for their wealth.
“I should be and I must be and I will be honest with you — that is a big concern,” said Igor Larionov Monday, on the day he was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame, after a distinguished 27-year career, mixed between international and NHL play....
Larionov said the economics of the KHL make little sense today, given that some teams in the Moscow draw as few as 1,000 to 2,000 people per game and ticket prices are so modest - $5, $10, $15 max. At that rate, he does not believe the sort of salaries they were offering to players last season — as much as $10 million to Pittsburgh Penguins’ star Evgeni Malkin — were sustainable over the long term.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov, KHL,
Welcome Igor
by Paul on 11/06/08 at 12:57 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Al Strachan at Fox Sports,
He stills remembers the Soviet system, which he calls “unacceptable,” and he’s outspoken in his praise of the people who allowed him to escape that system for the NHL.
The type of hockey that he and his teammates played was so effective that much of it was adopted by the NHL and for that, we all owe him our thanks. The game is a much more attractive spectacle today than it used to be and Larionov’s contributions in that regard would be hard to eclipse.
The Hockey Hall of Fame has no shortage of worthy inductees, but it’s hard to think of a guy who is more worthy — in a number of ways — than Igor Larionov.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: HHOF, Igor+Larionov,
Why Igor
by Paul on 11/03/08 at 04:16 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Ken Campbell of the Hockey News,
I find it hard to believe that Igor Larionov, one of the classiest people ever in the game, is finding an ally in the Kontinental League with president Alexander Medvedev.
Larionov was always all about principle. Instead of defecting from Russia to play in the NHL in his prime, he bided his time and went through the proper channels before coming to the NHL. Once he got here, he proved to be a great teammate and person and was part of the success of several teams along the way.
Now he’s working with a man who has no respect for the sanctity of a contract, as evidenced by the KHL’s poaching of Pavel Valentenko and Matt Murley recently by teams in Russia.
read on plus Leafs/Sundin and Stars/Avery notes…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov,
Larionov Wants To Restore Hockey In Russia
by Paul on 07/22/08 at 07:40 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Snapshots at Mlive,
In the attached articles, Larionov seems intent upon not only helping SKA build a winning team, but also working on restoring some of Russia’s status as a country that can develop solid hockey players. He’s going to be a member of the KHL’s board of directors, and as such, he adds a somewhat moderate and nuanced viewpoint to a group of owners who are, by and large, economic oligarchs, and a set of GMs and coaches who are comprised Russian hockey veterans and the last of the Soviet hockey machine.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov,
Larionov Joins SKA
by Paul on 07/18/08 at 11:52 AM ET
Comments (2)
from the IIHF,
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – New hall of famer Igor Larionov returns to work in ice hockey and was named director of hockey operations of SKA St. Petersburg.
The club of the Russian KHL announced that Larionov signed a one-year contract with the possibility of extension. The 47-year-old, who was working as a wine merchant in the last years, is expected to arrive in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
thanks to a KK reader for the pointer…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov,
The Professor Waits
by Paul on 06/16/08 at 07:04 PM ET
Comments (4)
from the CP,.
A year ago Igor Larionov ended up the odd man out when the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee had to consider a once-in-a-generation class of candidates.
With only four spots for five superstars, Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens each got the nod over the Russian great, whose accomplishments off the ice in breaking the barriers Soviet Union players faced in going to the NHL were just as significant as his artistry on the ice.
On Tuesday, the hall will unveil its class of 2008 and Larionov should be at the top of the list. Often described as the Wayne Gretzky of Russia, it would be a fitting honour for one of the game’s trailblazers, and ease the sting he felt at being left out last year.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov,
It’s Larionov’s Time
by Alanah McGinley on 06/13/08 at 11:55 AM ET
Comments (8)
From Pierre LeBrun at Sportsnet.ca,
It is not called the NHL Hall of Fame. I’m pretty sure it’s the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Which is why Tuesday, when the Hall’s selection committee gathers in Toronto to decide this year’s inductees, I hope Igor Larionov gets the nod.
“I think he should too,” six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings told Sportsnet.ca. “He’s that kind of special player. Watching him when I grew up in Europe, he was part of that Russian Five that never gave up the puck. They had it the whole time. [...] When I had a chance to play with him, I saw that too. He’s such a smart player. He wasn’t a big player but his smarts brought him so much success. He really deserves to be in the Hall.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: hhof, hockey+hall+of+fame, igor+larionov, niklas+lidstrom,
Larionov Mixes Hockey & Wine
by Alanah McGinley on 12/07/07 at 01:03 PM ET
Comments (0)
From the Oakland Press,
After his retirement, the player known as “the Professor” turned his hobby into a business, naming his import company after his game-winning goal in the third overtime of Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. He is partnered with Mike Davis in distributing wines from Australia and California in Michigan as well as both Switzerland and Russia.
Of course, hockey is not far from Larionov’s business, as names of his wines include, “Hat Trick,” “Slapshot,” or Triple Overtime Chardonnay, Cabernet and Enela—which is the name of his wife spelled backwards, according to a release by his company.
Filed in: Hockey Related Stories | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: detroit+red+wings, igor+larionov,
Larionov Not HHOF Worthy
by Paul on 11/11/07 at 10:48 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
Why do so many mainstream hockey people assume Igor Larionov is a slam-dunk Hall of Fame player. He played the final 14 years of his career in the NHL, most of it as a second-, third- or fourth-line centre. Based on those years alone, he shouldn’t even be a candidate. And yes, he was brilliant in Russia before that. But he was no more brilliant than linemate Vladimir Krutov—and no one is arguing Krutov for the Hall. Nor should they.
more hockey talk…
Steve, it is the Hockey Hall of Fame, not the NHL hall of fame!
Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: hhof, hockey+hall+of+fame, Igor+Larionov,
