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Igor Larionov had a very high hockey IQ. To be honest, he was one of the most intelligent players we ever coached. While we usually called him 'Iggy' (short for Egghead), he was also known as the Professor. Igor was a tremendous teacher and a great mentor for young players. It was almost like having another assistant coach on the ice. With credentials like this, it was hard not to put a lot of stock in what he had to say.

Anatoli Semenov was one of the three finalists we were targeting as a possible trade acquisition. Semenov had played on the powerhouse Soviet teams of the 80's, so 'Iggy' knew him well. When we asked the Professor for his thoughts, he told us Anatoli was a hard worker, very responsible defensively and a good teammate. As stated previously, Larionov's word carried a lot of weight.