News Article: Watching the 94 Series, The Story Behind Larionov Trade

[KIMCHEE]

So I was watching the epic 94 series when the Sharks shocked the Red Wings and completely forgot about the drama behind the Larionov trade. I searched the web and found a lot of stories about Makarov not being signed as the deciding factor. I was able to find an archive from the SF Gate that shed some light into things. It looks like Larionov and Lombardi had set a meeting up to try to mend fences and it was ultimately Kevin Constantine who heard Larionov wanted to play with Bure and Mogily and got his feelings hurt. He pulled the "if he doesn't want to be here then he's done" card and called the meeting off. From some other looking around I did and from an interview with Lombardi it sounds like he was confident he could get Larionov to stay with a roster concession or two but in the end it was Kevin Constantine who stuck a dagger in the entire arrangement. As we know Larionov went to Detroit and became and legend. Looks like there is some truths to the Makarov rumors and it sounds like Larionov just wanted another familiar Russian team mates to play with but his first choice was the Canucks!

Larionov Feud With Sharks Still Unresolved / Disgruntled center hopes to be traded to Vancouver

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[The Ice Hockey Dude]

So I was watching the epic 94 series when the Sharks shocked the Red Wings and completely forgot about the drama behind the Larionov trade. I searched the web and found a lot of stories about Makarov not being signed as the deciding factor. I was able to find an archive from the SF Gate that shed some light into things. It looks like Larionov and Lombardi had set a meeting up to try to mend fences and it was ultimately Kevin Constantine who heard Larionov wanted to play with Bure and Mogily and got his feelings hurt. He pulled the "if he doesn't want to be here then he's done" card and called the meeting off. From some other looking around I did and from an interview with Lombardi it sounds like he was confident he could get Larionov to stay with a roster concession or two but in the end it was Kevin Constantine who stuck a dagger in the entire arrangement. As we know Larionov went to Detroit and became and legend. Looks like there is some truths to the Makarov rumors and it sounds like Larionov just wanted another familiar Russian team mates to play with but his first choice was the Canucks!

Larionov Feud With Sharks Still Unresolved / Disgruntled center hopes to be traded to Vancouver

You got it right from what i recall.

Makarov at that point was close to 40 and his game had declined alot.
Proof being he really was not productive in brief stints with other teams.
He was done after that.

Fun story on this - The day after the Larionov trade there was a
skate at San Jose ice center (rink name then)
with him and Makarov all set up so they could play together one
last time. They had a bunch of adult players fill out the rosters.
I was in net against them, LoL. Larionov has
great vision and kept passing to Mak who looked slow and out of
shape to me. I don't remember who won or if either scored or not.
You could tell that they where good friends as they where chatty
in the locker room. I got both their autographs on my stick.

 

[OrrNumber4]

So I was watching the epic 94 series when the Sharks shocked the Red Wings and completely forgot about the drama behind the Larionov trade. I searched the web and found a lot of stories about Makarov not being signed as the deciding factor. I was able to find an archive from the SF Gate that shed some light into things. It looks like Larionov and Lombardi had set a meeting up to try to mend fences and it was ultimately Kevin Constantine who heard Larionov wanted to play with Bure and Mogily and got his feelings hurt. He pulled the "if he doesn't want to be here then he's done" card and called the meeting off. From some other looking around I did and from an interview with Lombardi it sounds like he was confident he could get Larionov to stay with a roster concession or two but in the end it was Kevin Constantine who stuck a dagger in the entire arrangement. As we know Larionov went to Detroit and became and legend. Looks like there is some truths to the Makarov rumors and it sounds like Larionov just wanted another familiar Russian team mates to play with but his first choice was the Canucks!

Larionov Feud With Sharks Still Unresolved / Disgruntled center hopes to be traded to Vancouver

While we'll never know if Lombardi would have been able to mend that fence (I doubt it, especially considering how unpolished Lombardi was back then), if at the end of the day Larionov was unmoved, I would totally support Constantine's sticking of the dagger. You don't want to let a player have that kind of power.

 

[LadyStanley]

Met Larionov a bunch of years ago. (He was in SJ for something. Might have been as agent for one of his clients.)

He was very gracious. I had photographed him at a game in Toledo a few years before that, and he gave me his email so I could send it to him.

 

[KIMCHEE]

While we'll never know if Lombardi would have been able to mend that fence (I doubt it, especially considering how unpolished Lombardi was back then), if at the end of the day Larionov was unmoved, I would totally support Constantine's sticking of the dagger. You don't want to let a player have that kind of power.

I completely agree. This isn't the dominant Kings era Lombardi we are talking about here but the one thing Lombardi always seemed to have even during his Sharks years was an ability to gain the trust of veterans and lure them to the team. One of the biggest knock Lombardi used to get from the media as he built the Sharks was his spending on veteran players. It ended up being a good move but in never seemed like the Sharks could pull off a well rounded draft, get the veterans who would have lasted 2-3 more years, or build their youth. I think with Lombardi at the table with Larionov maybe they could have worked out something where the Sharks trade for someone. People forget that before the Red Wings dynasty a lot of Russian players were unproven, new in the NHL, and not exactly dominating. It took a few more years for the Russian players to adjust to the game and then start taking it over. The Red Wings bought into it and were patient and it paid off. I think the Sharks could have swung a trade in which they pick up a Russian line mate who could contribute; hey could have used draft picks as well. Trade the first round pick in 95 (which means no Teemu Riihijarvi pick) and bundle a vet or two. Someone would have bit, who knows, maybe the Canucks would have given them Bure. Bure didn't have another good year until 97-98 and people forget there was a time when people were doubting Bure. He was young but he got hurt, he took the league by storm and then cooled fast, he is another Russian guy who just needed a few years to master the NHL.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

It ended up being the best move personally for Larionov. He got to do his thing on a star-studded roster instead of trying to carry a team with holes. Ray Sheppard was a great goalscorer at the time (had 27 in 51 games as a Shark) and had quite a bit of value. I didn't mind the trade at the time, to be honest.

I don't know if we'll ever get the full story, but this sounds about right.