Red Wings Legend Taking Over Top Russian Club

Former Detroit Red Wings star Igor Larionov wasn’t out of the coaching profession for long.

On Monday, KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg was making the surprise decision to dismiss prominent head coach Roman Rotenberg. Following up immediately after this announcement, the club was introducing Hockey Hall of Famer Larionov as the club’s new head coach.

The Professor is headed to St. Petersburg! pic.twitter.com/UI9vCdNU2F

— KHL (@khl_eng) June 2, 2025

“I am sure that his unique and rich experience – as a hockey player and as a coach – will help SKA achieve maximum results,” Chairman of the Board of Directors of SKA Vitaly Markelov said in a statement on the team’s website. “In addition, Igor knows how to develop young players, which is also an important factor for us.”

Under Rotenberg, much like the Red Wings, SKA was reluctant to introduce younger players. Among those he couldn’t find room for in his lineup were Philadelphia Flyers phenom Matvei Michkov and Red Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

Larionov was removed recently as coach of KHL club Torpedo after three seasons in charge of the Nizhny Novgorod club. SKA St. Petersburg, a two-time KHL Gagarin Cup champion, was suffering elimination in the first round of the playoffs this spring for the first time in 15 years. That led to the ouster of the successful but also frequently controversial Rotenberg, who is also coach of the Russian national team.

Former Red Wings Stars Linked To CSKA Moscow

Published reports were linking Larionov and fellow Red Wings Russian Five member Sergei Fedorov to the open coaching position with CSKA Moscow. Fedorov was quickly removing himself from consideration for the position which he had previously held. At the same time, the media was reporting that another Russian hockey icon, Boris Mikhailov, was lobbying strongly for Larionov to get the job.

However, Igor Nikitin left Lokomotiv Yaroslavl shortly after leading that team to the Gagarin Cup title and accepted the CSKA Moscow job.

(Related) Most goals in a single #StanleyCup Playoffs by a player age 39 or older:
6- Perry (2025)
6- Jean Beliveau (1971)
6- Ron Francis (2002)
6- Mark Recchi (2010)
6- Teemu Selanne (2011)
5- Igor Larionov (2002)
5- Recchi (2011)
5- Alex Ovechkin (2025)
4- Nine occurrences tied https://t.co/ZOQxmOjYFN

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) May 28, 2025

Larionov, 64, was a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings. Probably the best memory Red Wings fans are holding of him was his goal in triple overtime in Game 3 of the 2022 Cup final series against the Carolina Hurricanes.