Ice hockey player Igor Larionov: biography, achievements

A real genius in his business, multiple champion, virtuoso on the ice and just a good purposeful man, Igor Larionov became a real hockey legend. "Describing Igor is the same as trying to explain the brightness of the sun with the help of a candle flame," his contemporaries spoke of him.

First love of hockey

Igor Nikolaevich Larionov was born on December 3, 1960 in the city of Voznesensk, where the hockey club Khimik was the main attraction of that time. The passion for hockey for the seven-year-old Igor was instilled by the elder brother Eugene, who was a member of this club. Enviable enthusiasm and zapal, with which Zhenya was engaged in hockey, could not help developing in Igor's young and receptive heart a passionate love for this sport. He was so carried away by hockey that in the absence of his brother he took his skates and rushed to the yard, where he slept for hours on the ice.

The elder brother, seeing Igor's deep passion, took the younger brother to a hockey club. The guys were trained by Vyacheslav Odinokov, who became his first teacher.

Sports youth of the hockey player

Hockey was for the future champion of his life, purpose, meaning. Although, despite this, the hockey player did not drop out of school at school, justifying himself with a lack of time. Parents demanded high performance, and their son tried not to disappoint - the only bad evaluation could be one that was put for frequent passes because of constant trips to the games. The boy was an inquisitive enough person to combine both school and hockey.

First recognition Larionov Igor received at the tournament "Golden Puck", held in his hometown. The talent of the leading striker was noticed by the trainer Nikolai Epstein, who, being already a master of sports, at that time could not miss the potential of the sixteen-year-old hockey player, and did not hesitate to take him to the adult team. It was he who helped Igor to reveal all his abilities and gave him a ticket to professional sports.

Purposefulness and individuality of the athlete

Possessing a peculiar, peculiar only to him the manner of the game, Igor was quite satisfied with the combination tactics, which the "Chemist" preferred. He loved the rapid movements, suddenness and offensive actions peculiar to her. Therefore, Igor Larionov - hockey player, whose photo you see in the article, quickly won the sympathy of the audience, who loved his special approach to this sport.

His personality, according to some, was explained by a serious passion for other sports: volleyball, basketball and a special love for football. It is difficult to describe the whole gamut of feelings and emotions experienced by the seventeen-year-old Igor Larionov after his first match at the USSR Championship and the goal that the hockey player scored to Vladimir Myshkin himself.

The first hard steps to fame

Soon he began to pay attention to such famous clubs as Dynamo, CSKA and Spartak. In CSKA, the athlete categorically did not want to go: he was not satisfied with the peculiar methodology of coach Viktor Tikhonov, which was built on strict discipline and the same inhuman training methods that not everyone could stand. Later, he will describe it in full detail in the magazine "Ogonek", having issued an article as a letter-appeal to the coach.

As always, life was ordered in its own way: in order to avoid the army service, Igor, after playing three seasons in "Chemist" had to leave his native team with coach Nikolai Epstein and go to Tikhonov in CSKA. The fears of the hockey player were not in vain. His life under the "sensitive" leadership of Tikhonov turned into a kind of strict regime prison: almost nothing but bans, constant separation from the family, heavy, unbearable burdens. The reason was the idea of the "iron" coach to create an unbeatable five, in front of which not a single gate could resist.

As part of CSKA Moscow, Larionov Igor was an unchanging champion, and in the 1980s he began playing as a central striker in the legendary five: V. Fetisov, V. Krutov, S. Makarov, A. Kasatonov. Having played 9 seasons in CSKA, the champion scored 204 goals, and in 69 international matches - 27 goals and 38 assists. The talented and famous Larionov for his unusual specificity of the game was nicknamed "professor" and recognized as the best hockey player.

Unfortunately, because of reluctance to reconcile with Tikhonov's tactics, the young champion for a year was deprived of trips. At this time the hockey player got acquainted with his future wife - the famous figure skater Elena Batalova, who in the future had two daughters and one son.

Big changes

After the conflict with Tikhonov Igor Larionov blood and then got permission to leave for the exchange of athletes abroad - to Vancouver. There, he received the long-awaited freedom and instantly won the love of fans, became the best hockey player in the club "Vancouver Canucks". Having played three fruitful seasons, Igor Larionov moved to Switzerland and became a member of the club "Lugano", in which he scored 13 goals in 32 games. Later, as part of the "Russian five" of Russian players, created by coach Scotti Bowman in the "Detroit", he won with them victory after victory.

The last club in the career of the famous hockey player was "New Jersey Devils." Having played in it is not very successful, Igor Larionov, whose photo you see in the article, left a big sport in 2004 at the age of 44 years, having spent the last match in Moscow.

Life outside sports

Today the master of sports Igor Nikolaevich Larionov is a hockey agent helping young beginners in North America. Living in Switzerland, he seriously took a great interest in winemaking, which resulted in his own winery, which he opened in California.