Datsyuk moves past Larionov in career assists among Russian players

Pavel Datsyuk moved his past his mentor Wednesday in one career offensive category.
With two assists in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss in Columbus, Datsyuk moved past Igor Larionov for 7th place in NHL history among Russian players who’ve played in the league with 476 assists.
Datsyuk has always said Larionov was instrumental when Datsyuk was a young player in the NHL.
“He helped me in the beginning here,” Datsyuk said. “He helped me to adapt here, showed me the way to play and how to play.”
Larionov has started a career as an agent, representing several top junior Russian players who are in the Ontario Hockey League.
“He’s busy now,” said Datsyuk, who added he still keeps in contact with Larionov as often as possible.
But Datsyuk sounds like he won’t ever forget what Larionov did for a young Russian player in a foriegn country, in a difficult league.
“He gave me a lot of confidence,” Datsyuk said. “He supported me in the beginning.”