Soviet League (1977–1989) Larionov began his career in the
Soviet League with
Khimik Voskresensk in 1977–78, appearing in six games. Joining the club full-time the following season, he recorded seven points in 32 games as a rookie. He improved to 45 points in 43 games in 1980–81, garnering the attention of
CSKA Moscow and
Soviet national team coach
Viktor Tikhonov. Tikhonov approached him before a game between CSKA and Khimik early in the 1980–81 season, inviting Larionov to play for him. He notched five assists that game against Tikhonov's team and the following season, joined CSKA Moscow as the top-line centre between
Vladimir Krutov and
Sergei Makarov. The trio became known as the "
KLM Line" and dominated both the Soviet League and international competition. They were joined by defensive pairing
Viacheslav Fetisov and
Alexei Kasatonov to form the five-man lineup known as the "Green Unit", so called for the green uniforms they wore during practice. Larionov put up 53 points in his first season with CSKA, including a Soviet career-high 31 goals. He was named the
Soviet MVP in 1988 following a personal best 32 assists and 57 points. Despite the success, Larionov resisted Tikhonov's draconian coaching style and the Soviet system that had a tight grip on the players' personal lives. He objected that Tikhonov kept his players confined to
barracks (in CSKA's Archangel training facility) for as much as 11 months a year, even when they were married (CSKA was a functioning division of the
Soviet Army). He told a Russian magazine that with the players being away from home for so long, "it is a wonder our wives manage to give birth." Larionov also recounted suspicious injections that national team players would receive annually leading up to the World Championships. According to Larionov, he refused an injection prior to the 1982 World Championships and was not asked again. Larionov led the revolt with Fetisov against Soviet authorities that prevented Soviet players from defecting to the NHL. He had been drafted by the
Vancouver Canucks in 1985 and openly expressed a desire to move to North America. After talking to reporters about one day playing in the NHL, Tikhonov told Larionov that there was a mix-up with his passport and that he could not join the team for their six-city tour of the NHL in December 1985. He was to be kept off the national squad as well until the lobbying of Fetisov and other players returned Larionov to the team.
National Hockey League (1989–2004) After eight years of voicing his discontent, Larionov was allowed to join the Canucks in
1989–90. He left the Soviet Union around the same time as several other Soviet players, including all four of his "Green Unit" teammates. They were sold in order to infuse the cash-strapped Sovintersport (the governing body for sports in the former Soviet Union), which would draw a portion of the players' salaries. Larionov was joined in Vancouver by Krutov, and both struggled initially. While Krutov lasted only one year in the NHL, Larionov played three years for the Canucks and got progressively better as he adapted to the North American game. In the
1991–92 season, he centered the Canucks' top line, which included
Greg Adams and rookie
Pavel Bure. Larionov took the young Russian star under his wing that season. After his three-year contract with the Canucks had expired, Larionov chose to play a year in
Switzerland so that Sovintersport would not continue to draw a portion of his salary. Subsequently, the Canucks left him unprotected in the
1992 NHL Waiver Draft and he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks on 4 October 1992. He went to the
San Jose Sharks in
1993–94, where he was re-united with Sergei Makarov and helped the Sharks to a record 59-point improvement over the previous season. The Sharks then upset the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings in the opening round of the playoffs and extended the
Toronto Maple Leafs to seven games in the Conference Semi-Finals before falling. During the 1994–95 season, Larionov served as an
alternate captain for the Sharks. During the
1995–96 season, the re-building Sharks traded Larionov along with a conditional draft pick to the Detroit Red Wings for forward sniper
Ray Sheppard. Red Wings coach and general manager
Scotty Bowman had specifically targeted Larionov for his all-around game, noting his ability to play both the
power play and
penalty kill with equal success. Larionov was one of the Red Wings' "
Russian Five" in the mid-1990s. He and Fetisov were looked on as father figures by the team's other Russian players, which included
Sergei Fedorov,
Vyacheslav Kozlov and
Vladimir Konstantinov. Larionov was an integral part of the Red Wings' back to back Stanley Cup Championships in 1997 and 1998. That summer, Larionov and his Russian teammates made history by bringing the famed Cup home to
Russia for the first time ever. In
2000, Larionov signed with the
Florida Panthers, where he was re-united with Pavel Bure. It was a disaster, though, and Larionov was traded back to Detroit before the end of the season. He helped the Red Wings to the 2002 Stanley Cup championship, and made his mark on the
2002 Stanley Cup Finals by scoring the winning goal in triple overtime of Game 3 against the
Carolina Hurricanes. Detroit would win the series in five games. He played his final NHL season for the
New Jersey Devils in
2003–04, where Viacheslav Fetisov was an assistant coach. He finished his career by playing two games for the Swedish team
Brunflo IK in 2005–06, producing one goal and three assists. Brunflo is the same team that his former linemate in CSKA Moscow and the Soviet Union,
Vladimir Krutov, ended his career with ten years earlier. ==International play==