CA’S ALL-TIME GREATEST CANUCKS TEAM: IGOR LARIONOV

It is often said that the light that burns twice as bright, lasts half as long. One could certainly argue as much for Igor Larionov in his briefest of stays with the Vancouver Canucks, between 1989-92.

Part of a package deal which included Vladimir Krutov, the Canucks essentially paid their way into acquiring their talents despite selecting the duo several years prior in the later rounds of the NHL Entry Draft. For the Canucks, their inclusion represented a philosophical shift away from north-south hockey into a more lateral and cerebral game. They also marked some of the earlier pieces in the Russian invasion in the years leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Larionov will best be remembered in Canucks lore as a player who broke multiple barriers in the franchises efforts to regain relevance. Firstly, there was the Russian factor – players from the USSR rarely made it to the NHL and there were often some shady dealings involved in making it happen when it did. As a byproduct of his Soviet military training, Larionov also played a considerably different style of hockey than his North American counterparts.

As intriguing as his time with the Canucks was, the struggle to land this Russian phenom is equally as curious. Firstly, the Canucks had to send backup goaltender, Troy Gamble and staffer, Jack McIlharghey on a cross Atlantic journey behind the curtain to lure Larionov to the NHL. They did so under the guise of observation, hoping to learn a thing or two about how the Soviets trained and conducted themselves in hockey management – which, believe you me, is a really interesting story in and of itself.

Upon convincing Larionov to bolt to Vancouver, the Canucks had to offer the Sovinternsport a cash payment for his services (along with Krutov’s) and promise to pay a substantial amount of his salary on an annual basis – more on this later.

Based primarily on the lack of integrated communication and the veil of silence that shrouded the Eastern Bloc, Larionov came to Canada with an obscene amount of hype – founded rightfully, or otherwise. There just wasn’t a wealth of information with which to draw on, so the sky was the limit when projecting Larionov’s abilities with the franchise.

What few concerns the city had regarding their new Russian toy centered primarily on his shorter stature. If you think the NHL is reticent to give diminutive players a shot now, imagine the odds against a short and Russian player from the late 80’s.

Fortunately for Vancouver and Larionov, his plus ability to think the game more than made up for this. Larionov was quickly nicknamed “The Professor” for his cerebral approach to hockey and by his third year with the franchise was centering the Canucks first line, alongside Pavel Bure and Greg Adams. This gave the Canucks unparalleled speed from their first line and helped to fulfill Larionov’s prophecy as mentor to the younger Bure.

Upon completion of the 91-92 campaign and subsequently Larionov’s three year contract with the Canucks, the Soviet expat took his talents to the Swiss League for a season, hoping primarily to get the grubby hands of the Sovinterm off his paycheques. 

This is where things get complicated. The Canucks continued to hold Larionov’s drafts, but opted not to protect his rights in the following waiver draft (it’s a thing, you can read about it here!). Of course, the Canucks had no idea whether Larionov would return or not and felt it unnecessary to protect him as a result. The San Jose Sharks were the key beneficiaries of this play, putting a claim on Larionov before the 93-94 season.

To the best knowledge of most, this is where Larionov’s story with the Canucks ends. Upon digging deeper though and consulting with some of my sources at The Province, it appears as though there was some discussion between the Sharks and Canucks about a trade to bring Larionov back. The motivating factor being that the Sharks were awful for most of Larionov’s time there and he wanted desperately to win.

Unfortunately, Quinn couldn’t put together a solid enough package and the franchise wasn’t at its wealthiest, so it wasn’t to be. Just imagine if it was though…