Vladimir Yevgenyevich Krutov (Russian: Владимир Евгеньевич Крутов; 1 June 1960 – 6 June 2012), nicknamed "The Tank",[1] was a Russian former professional ice hockey forward. Together with Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, he was part of the famed KLM Line.[2] He is considered one of the best ice hockey wingers of the 1980s.

Vladimir Krutov
2011
Born (1960-06-01)1 June 1960
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died 6 June 2012(2012-06-06) (aged 52)
Moscow, Russia
Height 176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for HC CSKA Moscow
Vancouver Canucks
Zürcher SC
Östersunds IK
Brunflo IK
National team  Soviet Union
NHL draft 238th overall, 1986
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1977–1996

An instrumental part of the Soviet Union national team in the 1980s, Krutov won the 1981 Canada Cup, two gold medals (1984, 1988) and one silver (1980) at the Olympics, and five golds (1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989), one silver (1987) and one bronze (1985) in the World Championships. He was the scoring leader at the 1987 World Championships.[3]

On the club level, Krutov played for CSKA Moscow from 1978 to 1989. He was one of the first Soviet players to make the jump to the NHL, doing so with the Vancouver Canucks in 1989. However, Krutov did not have a successful season, battling homesickness and weight problems, which provoked the derisive nickname of "Vlad the Inhaler."[4][5][6]

Krutov left the NHL after his lone season in North America and played for several clubs in the Swiss and Swedish leagues before retiring to move into coaching.[2] His son Alexei Krutov is a former hockey player who played professionally from 1999 to 2017.

In 2010, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.[7][8][9]

Krutov died in a hospital in Moscow on 6 June 2012, of internal bleeding and liver failure, just five days after his 52nd birthday.[7]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 CSKA Moscow USSR 1 0 0 0 0
1978–79 CSKA Moscow USSR 24 8 3 11 6
1979–80 CSKA Moscow USSR 40 30 12 42 16
1980–81 CSKA Moscow USSR 47 25 15 40 20
1981–82 CSKA Moscow USSR 46 37 29 66 30
1982–83 CSKA Moscow USSR 44 32 21 53 34
1983–84 CSKA Moscow USSR 44 37 20 57 20
1984–85 CSKA Moscow USSR 40 23 30 53 26
1985–86 CSKA Moscow USSR 40 31 17 48 10
1986–87 CSKA Moscow USSR 39 26 24 50 16
1987–88 CSKA Moscow USSR 38 19 23 42 20
1988–89 CSKA Moscow USSR 35 20 21 41 12
1989–90 Vancouver Canucks NHL 61 11 23 34 20
1990–91 Zürcher SC NDA 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 6 9 0
1991–92 Zürcher SC NDA 28 13 19 32 4 6 4 3 7 4
1992–93 Östersunds IK SWE III 19 25 24 49 12
1993–94 Östersunds IK SWE II 28 18 22 40 14
1994–95 Östersunds IK SWE II 27 9 9 18 31
1995–96 Brunflo IK SWE III 18 7 9 16 6
USSR totals 438 288 215 503 210

International

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Year Team Event Place   GP G A Pts PIM
1979 Soviet Union WJC   6 8 6 14 2
1980 Soviet Union WJC   5 7 4 11 5
1980 Soviet Union OG   7 6 5 11 4
1981 Soviet Union WC   8 6 3 9 8
1981 Soviet Union CC   7 4 4 8 10
1982 Soviet Union WC   10 4 3 7 6
1983 Soviet Union WC   10 8 7 15 12
1984 Soviet Union OG   7 4 1 5 2
1984 Soviet Union CC   6 3 5 8 4
1985 Soviet Union WC   10 3 5 8 8
1986 Soviet Union WC   10 7 10 17 14
1987 Soviet Union WC   10 11 4 15 8
1987 Soviet Union CC   9 7 7 14 4
1988 Soviet Union OG   8 6 9 15 0
1989 Soviet Union WC   10 4 2 6 12
Junior totals 11 15 10 25 7
Senior totals 112 73 64 137 92

International goals

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 February 1980 Lake Placid, United States   Netherlands 2–0 17–4 1980 Winter Olympics
2. 13–1
3. 14–1
4. 18 February 1980   Finland 2–2 4–2
5. 22 February 1980   United States 1–0 4–3
6. 24 February 1980   Sweden 6–0 9–2
7. 12 April 1981 Stockholm, Sweden   Netherlands 6–1 10–1 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships
8. 13 April 1981   Finland 4–0 7–1
9. 20 April 1981   Czechoslovakia 6–2 8–2
10. 22 April 1981   Canada 2–2 4–4
11. 3 September 1981 Winnipeg, Canada   Sweden 6–3 6–3 1981 Canada Cup
12. 5 September 1981 Edmonton, Canada   United States 3–1 4–1
13. 7 September 1981 Winnipeg, Canada   Finland 1–0 6–1
14. 13 September 1981 Montreal, Canada   Canada 5–1 8–1

References

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  1. ^ Fyodorov, Gennady (6 June 2012). "Former Soviet great Krutov dies at 52". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b Cazeneuve, Brian (February 12, 2014). "Greatest Russian Hockey Players Of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  3. ^ 1987 Summary
  4. ^ News, Postmedia (2012-06-06). "Vladimir Krutov a 'fish out of water' in NHL, says former Canucks teammate". National Post. National Post. Retrieved 2018-03-22. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Fleming, Colin (February 16, 2014). "Olympic hockey has an international gold standard to meet". Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated LLC. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  6. ^ Drance, Thomas; Halford, Mike (2017). 100 Things Canucks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books LLC. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-62937-345-4.
  7. ^ a b "Vladimir Krutov, Soviet ice hockey legend, dead at 52". Toronto Star. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  8. ^ "Владимир Крутов стал 30-м россиянином в Зале славы ИИХФ". Sport Express (in Russian). Moscow, Russia. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ Meltzer, Bill (23 December 2009). "IIHF Hall of Fame inducts six new members". National Hockey League. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
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Preceded by Soviet MVP
1987
Succeeded by