TORONTO (11/10/08)-- Igor Larionov, the great Soviet star who led the exodus of Russian players to the NHL in 1989 and won 3 Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, was a small man, but he played and speaks with great courage. He was a superior athlete, but he looks like the team bookkeeper.He was allowed to jump to North America in 1989 "because players over 30 weren't welcome in the (Russian) system," Larionov said. "They wanted younger players they could control."The Soviets forced a deal in which NHL teams would send part of the player's salary to the Russian Hockey Federation as compensation. Larionov was so outraged by his former bosses skimming money from players they no longer wanted that he played out his 3-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks and then went to play in Switzerland to stop the money flow. The upside of that? "It allowed me to learn Italian," he said.To get an idea of Larionov's calm and business-like ways, he was at a gym preparing for his daily workout when he got the call informing him of his Hockey Hall of Fame induction. Larionov then swam laps for 45 minutes, drove home and told his wife. Oh, by the way ...
Full story here: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=391667
And prepare for the Red Wings to take on the Penguins tonight as Hossa meets his former 'mates for the first time as a Red Wing. And I'll actually get to watch it since it's on VS.
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