LARIONOV: FETISOV UNDERTOOD REASONS OF MY QUIT

Igor Larionov explains why he decided to leave SKA last summer and talks about his plans for future.


In summer Larionov sensationally left the post of SKA sporting director and rejected Fetisov’s offer to become general manager of CSKA. After that he returned to America and seems to withdraw from KHL active life though he still enters the league’s board of directors.

"I didn’t extend my contract with SKA through several reasons", explained Larionov. "But mainly because my point of view on the team’s formation is different from opinion of the club’s managers".

"I decided that it’s better to leave the team in this situation. Finally everyone can have his own vision of the team’s formation".

"The whole problem is that I saw the club as a business project, as I suppose that it was the main purpose of creation of the KHL. It’s wrong that owners of companies, who invest money in hockey, get nothing in exchange".

"Any team is build not for one or even two years, as it’s very serious and long process. I saw examples of Vancouver, San Jose and Detroit how to build the structure of the professional club set to achieve success in future".

"My friend Vyacheslav Fetisov offered me to become the CSKA general manager, but I refused, because I am not ready to move to Russia permanently. My son studies at school and plays hockey in Detroit.

"We moved to Detroit, because California is not the best place for the growth for hockey player. The main youth hockey is concentrated in Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Buffalo and Saint Louis. And we had to fly from Los-Angeles to these cities during school year".

"It would be very interesting to work with Fetisov, as CSKA hasn’t won anything serious during twenty years since Slava, our partners and I left the club".

"It means that it’s necessary to change principles of work inside the team. Fetisov understood reasons of my refusal, while I gave him advice on strategy of CSKA’s revival".

"I won’t appear in my home team in the near future, because I want to spend two or three years for another hockey project. I am going to build company, which will deal with young players, provide them with consultation and other services".