KLM series

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The KLM series , also known as the KLM Line or Green Unit , describes a very successful ice hockey storm series from the 1980s. It consisted of the players Vladimir K rutow , Igor L arionow and Sergei M akarow . It is widely considered to be the best European storm series ever. Even today, many NHL stars name one of the members as their idol.

Emergence

It was a long tradition in the Soviet Union to discover and promote such series over the years. In the 1940s and 1950s it was Yevgeny Babitsch , Vsevolod Bobrov and Viktor Shuvalov . In the 1970s it was Boris Mikhailov , Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Petrov , these were then replaced by the KLM series , which dominated the Soviet and international scene during the 1980s.

The Soviet national coach Viktor Tikhonov first discovered the talented ice skater and left-handed shooter Sergei Makarov . Tikhonov then brought him to HK CSKA Moscow .

Vladimir Krutov , a very stocky and powerful left wing , was discovered by Valery Kharlamov . Krutow had been trained and trained at CSKA and was a great support for the army club at the time.

Voskressensk-born Igor Larionov , who later became the center of the series, was discovered by Nikolai Epstein while he was playing for Chimik Voskressensk .

National team

Each of them won numerous prizes and championships, but they were particularly strong as a team: Together with the defenders Vyacheslav Fetissov and Alexei Kassatonov , they formed the first block of the Soviet national team for years and played a key role in their successes at the time. Kassatonov said: "We only had one rule, if an opponent only touched one of us in a game, he was everyone's enemy."

When these three players entered the ice hockey scene during the 1981 Canada Cup , they were only 21 (Krutow and Larionow) and 23 (Makarow) years old, but they were already stars. They scored 22 points (11 + 11) in seven games during the tournament and were the unit of measurement within the Soviet group. They also won the final against Canada 8-1.

In the 1984 Canada Cup , the KLM series collected another 18 points (10 + 8) in six games. However, they lost the semifinals against Canada 2: 3 in overtime.

In 1987 the KLM series played again at the Canada Cup and fought a duel with the storm series for Goulet - Gretzky - Lemieux from the Canadian national team. The KLM series was able to achieve 32 points (15 + 17) in nine games.

Other series of the same name

Also referred to as the "KLM line" is a storm combination of the Dallas Stars , which particularly stood out in the 2003/04 season . It consisted of Niko Kapanen , Jere Lehtinen and Brenden Morrow .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Russian Rocket: History - The 1980's. In: russianrocket.de. Retrieved March 2, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Sergei Makarov - Teammates. In: russianrocket.de. Retrieved March 2, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Dallas Stars. In: hotrod903.tripod.com. March 6, 2003, accessed March 2, 2017 .