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[The Vancouver Sun] Vladimir Krutov, former Canuck, fighting for his life in hospital


jonnycanuck46

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http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Vladimir+Krutov+Soviet+superstar+Canucks+winger+fighting+life+Moscow+hospital/6733586/story.html

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Former Russian hockey star Vladimir Krutov, who played one season in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, is in intensive care at a Moscow hospital and doctors are “fighting for his life,” according to a report on the Voice of Russia website.

Krutov, 52, fell ill on Sunday and was taken to hospital where doctors found internal bleeding in the stomach area, a condition known at gastrorrhagia. The website reported that Dmitry Shaposhnikov, CEO of an organization called "Hockey Legends," said Krutov's condition was poor. The report said Krutov was in a drug-induced coma.

Krutov's wife, Nina, told the Sovietski Sport newspaper that her husband “began to feel sick” on Sunday and asked her to call an ambulance.

Krutov and fellow Russian Igor Larionov joined the Canucks for the 1989-90 season and, while Larionov quickly made the adjustment to NHL hockey and North American life, Krutov did not. He reported out of shape, scored 11 goals in 61 games and was cut the following season when he again did not live up to the team's conditioning standards. He finished his career back in Europe.

In his prime during the 1980s, Krutov played with Larionov and Sergei Makarov on the “KLM Line,” one of hockey's most potent scoring lines.

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Krutov was in the lineup at my first ever Canuck's game I attended.

Out of shape and still scored 11 goals in 61 games. These days that would probably get a personal trainer and a $2.5M contract. Imagine what kind of damage the Canucks could have done if he had adjusted like Larionov had.

I hope he pulls through this. 52 is way too young.

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Krutov was in the lineup at my first ever Canuck's game I attended.

Out of shape and still scored 11 goals in 61 games. These days that would probably get a personal trainer and a $2.5M contract. Imagine what kind of damage the Canucks could have done if he had adjusted like Larionov had.

I hope he pulls through this. 52 is way too young.

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Glad to see the comments are staying relatively respectful, despite the fact he is an easy target for jokes. It's never good to see a former Canuck, or anyone, in this kind of state.

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Krutov is hockey royalty.Vlad was the man and may he get well very soon!

Vladimir Krutov

- Two times World Junior Champion

- Two times World Junior All-Star

- Two times named best forward in the World Junior Championships

- Two Olympic gold medals

- Five times World Champion

- Two times named best forward in the World Championships

- Four times World Championship All-Star

- Best World Championship scorer

- Canada Cup winner

- Canada Cup All-Star

- 11 times Soviet league Champion

- Seven times Soviet league first All-Star

- Soviet player of the year

The KLM line is generally regarded as one of the best European hockey lines of all time. Many of the Russian NHL pros today had one of the KLM members as their idol.

The Soviets always had a fine tradition of producing great lines over the years. In the 1940's and 50's it was Evgeny Babitch, Vsevolod Bobrov and Viktor Suvalov. In the 1960's and 70's it was Boris Mikhailov, Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Petrov who then passed the torch to the slick KLM line. They went on to dominate the domestic and international scene during the 1980's

Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov first discovered the swift skating right winger Sergei Makarov. Tikhonov brought Makarov to the Central Red Army club (CSKA Moscow) from Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Vladimir Krutov a stocky and strong left wing was discovered by the great Valeri Kharlamov. Krutov was a home grown CSKA product which was pretty rare back then for the Army club.

Voskresensk native Igor Larionov, the mastermind center was discovered by the much respected Nikolai Epstein while he was playing for Khimik Voskresensk.

Viktor Tikhonov, the long time Soviet coach got to know these three better than anyone else in the hockey business.

" Igor Larionov is the one with the exceptional on-ice intellect, full of ideas and creativity. Sergei Makarov stands for the unlimited will to always seek the extremely difficult solutions in game situations and to overcome obstacles. Vladimir Krutov is the master in front of the goal. He's the one who seeks challenges and battles and on most occasions comes out on top," Tikhonov once said when asked to describe his star trio.

When these three players entered the Canada Cup scene in 1981 they were only 21 (Krutov and Larionov) and 23 (Makarov) years old but were already bonafide stars. They collected a total of 22 points (11+11) in 7 games and were the most effective unit on the Soviet squad, giving their opponents a lot of headache. Six of these points came in the final against Canada when the Soviets put on a masterful display, trouncing the Canadians 8-1.

In the 1984 Canada Cup tournament the KLM line was once again the highest scoring line for the Soviets, collecting 18 points (10+8) in 6 games. However this time the "Big Red Machine" lost the semifinal game to Canada 2-3 in OT. Most people saw it as the "real" final as the game was played in a breathtaking tempo.

Then in 1987 the KLM line was once again the unit to stop for the other teams. They proved to be better than ever and fought a gigantic battle against Canada's Goulet-Gretzky-Lemieux line. It was pure poetry in motion to watch these lines square off against each other, and many today still fondly remembers the three final games to be among the best ever played. A total of 32 points (15+17) in 9 games was scored by the KLM trio.

All in all the Krutov-Larionov-Makarov troika had 72 points (36+36) in 22 Canada Cup games, that's almost 3.3 points per game. No other line has scored as many points in Canada / World Cup competition.

Chelyabinsk native Sergei Makarov was a masterful one-on-one player with magical hands who could make the most incredible moves. He always put up big numbers regardless of what linemates he played with.

Igor Larionov possessed great quickness in his movements, transitions and mind. He was elegant, an artist with quick thinking and soft hands.

" Larionov has many great skills, but what I admire most about him is his creative thinking and his way to organize his line," Tikhonov once said.

Vladimir Krutov was the guy with the temperament. He was called "The Tank" partly for his 5'9", 195 Ibs frame but also for his style of play. He was a very dangerous player in front of the net.

All three of them won numerous individual awards and championships and of course tore the Soviet league and international opposition apart. To make matters worse for the opponents they were backed up by Vyacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov on the blueline. Two of the best defensemen in the world during the 1980's. These five had a special chemistry on the ice.

" We had a rule, that if anyone touched us in a game, he was everyone's enemy.", Kasatonov said in an interview many years later. If you managed to stop one or two players, or if someone had an off-night there always were a couple of guys from the "Soviet five" who stepped in and covered up.

A look behind the stats:

Krutov scored 519 points (300+219) in 490 league games. Larionov scored 434 points (204+230) in 457 games and Makarov had 730 points (332+398) in 559 games. They scored 1683 league points between them, 1299 while playing together.

In the World Championships Krutov scored 108 points (59+49) in 90 games. Larionov scored 69 points (30+39) in 71 games and Makarov had 149 points (66+83) in 123 games. A total of 326 points.

Their career resumé is impressive. Some of the accomplishments includes:

Vladimir Krutov

- Two times World Junior Champion

- Two times World Junior All-Star

- Two times named best forward in the World Junior Championships

- Two Olympic gold medals

- Five times World Champion

- Two times named best forward in the World Championships

- Four times World Championship All-Star

- Best World Championship scorer

- Canada Cup winner

- Canada Cup All-Star

- 11 times Soviet league Champion

- Seven times Soviet league first All-Star

- Soviet player of the year

Igor Larionov

- World Junior Champion

- World Junior All-Star

- Two Olympic gold medals

- Three times World Champion

- Two times World Championship All-Star

- Eight times Soviet league Champion

- Four times Soviet league first All-Star

- Soviet player of the year

- Three Stanley Cup titles

Sergei Makarov

- Two times World Junior Champion

- Two Olympic gold medals

- Seven times World Champion

- Two times named best forward in the World Championships

- Six times World Championship All-Star

- Three times best World Championship scorer

- Canada Cup winner

- Canada Cup All-Star

- 11 times Soviet league Champion

- Eight times Soviet league first All-Star

- Nine times leading scorer in the Soviet league

- Three times Soviet player of the year

- Two times winner of the "Golden Stick" award as the outstanding player in Europe

- NHL Calder Trophy winner

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