Throughout his decades in the game, Detroit Red Wings Russian Five icon Igor Larionov has taken on various roles.

Of course, he was a world-class player. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings, a Hockey Hall of Famer, and a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club. Larionov was a two-time Olympic champion and eight-time world champion.

Following his playing career, Larionov transitioned into a player agent. He went into the wine business. More recently, Larionov stepped behind the bench to become a coach, first with the Russian national junior team, more recently in the KHL for Torpedo, and now with SKA St. Petersburg.

Igor Larionov always tries something new. pic.twitter.com/mm8iwx5xo8

— KHL (@khl_eng) January 10, 2024

Last season, Larionov was adding another layer to his work. He took on a role as a betting tout. Larionov made picks on NHL games on the Derzhi Bet podcast for Russian betting site PARI.

Here’s a sample of Larionov’s work, picking a Red Wings-Utah game from March 24 of last season.

“Utah has started winning more often since moving from Arizona,” Larionov said. “Misha Sergachev is one of the leaders. The Detroit team is led by Todd McLellan, one of my teammates, a good, strict specialist. Patrick Kane stands out in Detroit – even at this age, it’s a pleasure to watch him. It’s time for Detroit to make the playoffs in a long time. My opinion: there will be seven goals in the match, Detroit will win in overtime.”

He was almost dead on. The Red Wings won the game 5-1, coming up one goal short on Larionov’s pick for the goals total.

Red Wings Icon Diversifying Again

Even though he’ll be in charge of one of the top teams in the KHL this season, Larionov intends to continue his podcasting career. He’s adding a new twist to his broadcasts.

“Bookmaker PARI and its ambassador Igor Larionov are launching a podcast about hockey,” the site reported. “Russian sports stars will visit the ‘Professor.’ PARI with Larionov is an unprecedented project in the world of hockey. This is the first time in history that an active coach is launching his own media project.

Bookmaker company PARI and legendary hockey player Igor Larionov announced the start of cooperation.

The world champion, Stanley Cup winner, Olympic winner and Honored Master of Sports became the brand ambassador. pic.twitter.com/pdG8CEil8R

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) June 7, 2024

For his part, Larionov seems genuinely excited to participate in such a project.

“Many people know me as a person who has been connected to hockey all my life,” Larionov said. “And now I want to talk to you in a long, honest, lively format. Within the framework of this conversation, you can remember a lot, comprehend, and perhaps even say something that has never been said before.

“The essence of the podcast is to convey to the generation of young players, to those who love and watch the game, how success is achieved. How the first steps are taken, how young talents move on, how they achieve great progress. It’s time to talk about hockey for real.”

Larionov’s new podcast debuted on July 30. His first guest was Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko.