Ex-Vancouver Canuck Vladimir Krutov a 'fish out of water' in NHL, former teammate Paul Reinhart says of late Soviet star
Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun 06.06.2012
Soviet Union hockey superstar Vladimir Krutov arrives at Vancouver International Airport in September 1989, to start a new career in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks. It was to be a short one, though, just over one season, and not nearly as successful as his decade with international hockey's Big Red Machine.Ian Smith / Vancouver Sun files
New Vancouver Canucks linemates Vladimir Krutov (left) and Igor Larionov at a team practice in September 1989. Krutov, who appears winded, was out of shape during his time in Vancouver and lasted just over a season with the Canucks before leaving the NHL, while Larionov went on to great success with the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings. The two had starred, with Sergei Makarov, on the famed 'KLM Line' for the Soviet Union through the 1980s.Nick Didlick / Vancouver Sun files
Russian hockey star Vladimir Krutov makes his first appearance in a Vancouver Canucks uniform in September 1989. He would last just over one season with the Canucks before being released.Brian Kent / Vancouver Sun files
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VANCOUVER — Vladimir Krutov was remembered Wednesday as an excellent Soviet hockey player but not one suited to play in the National Hockey League or live a western lifestyle.
The 52-year-old Krutov died Wednesday in Moscow due to complications from internal bleeding. He had been rushed to hospital on Sunday.
"I think Kruts was the proverbial fish out of water," said Paul Reinhart, a former teammate on the Vancouver Canucks. "He just never really got adjusted or acclimatized to the North American world and, therefore, he was never able to produce. But he was as good a player all through the 1980s as anybody in the world. I think the shame for Kruts is that he was not suited to leave Russia. And that's unfortunate."
Krutov was 29 when he and fellow countryman Igor Larionov joined the Canucks for the 1989-90 NHL season.
Krutov and Larionov formed two-thirds of the Soviets' famed KLM line. Sergei Makarov was the third member while defencemen Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov completed the five-man Green Unit that terrorized their opponents internationally.
While the other four had significant NHL careers after coming over, Krutov reported to the Canucks overweight and out of shape and lasted just one season in Vancouver, scoring 11 goals in 61 games. Pat Quinn was Canucks GM during that time and he recalled dealing with a miserably unhappy player.
"Larionov was a very urbane, worldly educated sort of guy and was excellent in English while Krutov not so much," Quinn explained. "He didn't have any English and was a peasant in terms of his upbringing. He was certainly a good hockey player but, unlike Larionov who was able to make the transition quite easily and welcomed it, Krutov was homesick right away.
"It was a terrible experience for him. He really wasn't enjoying it all and he didn't want to be here. You could see flashes of his hockey ability from time to time but not enough. He couldn't sustain it. He wasn't conditioned well. His passing is sad. We never got to know him really well."
Reinhart was able to see Krutov as both a teammate and an adversary. Prior to them being joined on the 1989-90 Canucks, Reinhart competed against Krutov internationally, beginning with a tournament in the former Czechoslovakia in 1979.
"I'd say I probably played against Kruts maybe 10 times, including the 1981 Canada Cup and a number of world championships," said Reinhart, now a mining executive in Vancouver. "He was an absolute bull of a player. He was a plug in terms of how strong he was. With his combination of skill and strength on his feet, he was exceptional. When he was here with the Canucks, we never saw him at his best, or anywhere near it."
Reinhart also recalled that 1989 was a time when European-trained players weren't as readily accepted as they are today, especially those coming from an Iron Curtain country.
"We tend to forget how hard it was for the Russians coming over," continued Reinhart, five months older than Krutov. "They were not only leaving their own system and culture, they were coming to a culture that wasn't necessarily welcoming. What I mean by that is the fact Kruts and Larionov were among the first Russians, the pioneers, to come over here. There were some reservations by Canadians, Canadian hockey players and media in terms of 'hey, what are these Russians doing here, stealing our jobs and taking our money?'
"I'm not suggesting that was a main factor in Kruts not adjusting," added Reinhart, "but it certainly was an underlying one. He left a very rigid environment that he was very controlled in. He just had a very tough time adjusting to the freedoms."
Reinhart is convinced that Krutov's disastrous one season with the Canucks has unfairly tarnished his image.
"Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely," Reinhart responded. "He was an unbelievable player, as good as those other two guys on that line."
Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey also recalled playing against Krutov in his prime during the 1984 and '87 Canada Cups, the latter famous for three straight 6-5 scores and the Gretzky-to-Lemieux series-winning goal.
"Krutov was an incredible player, especially internationally when the hockey was at its best, and his one year in the NHL shouldn't have tarnished his image," Coffey said. "That whole line with Larionov and Makarov was incredible and, with Fetisov and Kasatonov on the points, I mean, forget it. They played a puck-possession game that I loved to play and Krutov was a huge part of it. He was built low to the ground, he was speedy and tough to knock off the puck. I can still see him today. I can see them all."
The Canucks issued a statement Wednesday in which they sent "deepest condolences" to the Krutov family.
epap@vancouversun.com
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