LARIONOV: OUR BEST TEAM WAS IN 1980

Famous Russian centerforward Igor Larionov expressed his point of view on the coming Olympic games in Vancouver.


"I don’t like guess-work", said Larionov. "I passed through it all and now I just want to watch it from aside".

"I don’t like various calculations ahead of the tournament on which players will play together. They are not figures for table hockey, they are people with different way of thinking and different level of preparation".

"That is why I prefer not to trust predictions that Russia and Canada are the main favourites of hockey competition. For example I think that Americans are also very strong".

"Veterans’ role is very important for young teams. I was supposed to fulfill this role in Sault Lake City and at first I refused. I was 41, my career in NHL was close to an end and I wanted to win Stanley Cup that year".

"I thought that I would be too overloaded and moreover the national team had other experienced leaders, such as Pavel Bure, Sergey Fyodorov. But Vyacheslav Fetisov asked me to help and I agreed".

"I knew that I would spend seven or eight minutes on ice, but I don’t regret it. I played with talented youngsters Kovalchuk and Datsyuk at the Olympic games".

"To my mind the best Russian team was in Lake Placid in 1980 when I didn’t played. It was unbeatable team as there were no chances that it could have been beaten".

"I would be very happy if our team wins in Vancouver. Do you imagine what it will mean to the whole Russian hockey?"

"Americans won the World youth championship and right after the final they sold six or seven thousand tickets were sold right after the final. And I want to see it too, and I don’t want to analyze something before the Games".