NHL general manager teases return of Red Wings Hall of Famer Igor Larionov as head coach
Former Red Wings Hall of Famer Igor Larionov as a head coach? One notable NHL general manager seems to think so.
One of the smartest hockey players ever to grace the National Hockey League, Igor Larionov helped the Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back Stanley Cups along with a 3rd in 2002.
But while he's currently coaching in his native Russia, could he return to the NHL? One notable general manager seems to think it's a possibility.
Islanders GM Lou Lamoreillo, who signed Larionov to his final NHL contract in 2003 as a member of the New Jersey Devils, thinks that he could easily coach in North America.
Larionov actually helped defeat the Red Wings in upset fashion as a member of the San Jose Sharks in 1994. But it wasn't long after his arrival in Detroit that coach Scotty Bowman had him form 1/5 of the legendary Russian 5.
Upon his retirement from the NHL in 2004, Larionov was eventually named director of hockey operations for CSKA St. Petersburg after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.
Since 2022, he's served as head coach of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL.
Red Wings fans, should Larionov's former teammate Steve Yzerman bring him back to the organization as head coach?
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 21 | 165 ANSWERS NHL general manager teases return of Red Wings Hall of Famer Igor Larionov as head coach Should the Red Wings hire Igor Larionov as head coach? | ||
| Yes, bring in The Professor! | 153 | 92.7 % |
| No, Derek Lalonde will come back | 12 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
