Pitted against each other in a bitter rivalry, St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko and Chicago Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin are only enemies on the ice.
Longtime friends outside the rink, the show-stopping Russian snipers know each other well.
Tarasenko and Panarin were teammates for Russia at the 2011 World Junior Championships, where they won a gold medal in dramatic fashion. The two also played together for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL in 2012-13.
After Tarasenko made the jump to St. Louis, he apparently pushed Blues management to sign Panarin, who stayed in the KHL for another two seasons.
Hitchcock on Tarasenko: "He told us the day he got here about Panarin. At least once a month. ... We all look a little dumb right now."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 15, 2016
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock joked Tarasenko might be better suited to St. Louis' front office based on the advice.
Hitch: "Well I think instead of giving (Tarasenko) $8 million, we should have hired him as a scout." #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 15, 2016
Panarin ultimately landed a deal with the Blackhawks, and stripped the hockey world of an opportunity to watch the two dynamos together in the NHL - although Panarin has certainly developed some exciting chemistry with Patrick Kane.
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