University of Minnesota Athletics
Reed Larson - M Club Hall of Fame
Reed Larson
Men’s Hockey, 1974-77
HOF Class of 2000
A star defenseman at Minneapolis Roosevelt High School, Reed Larson came to the University of Minnesota in 1974 and helped the Gophers to their 1975 WCHA championship and NCAA tournament runner-up performance.
Larson played a major role in the team’s success in 1975, too, when it won the NCAA championship.
The two-time All-WCHA honoree turned pro midway through his junior year, signing with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, who had selected him 22nd overall in the 1976 amateur draft. He departed Minnesota fourth in career goals by a defenseman, with 34 goals and 61 assists in just 104 games.
In his first full Detroit season, Larson led Red Wing defensemen in scoring, with 60 points, and held the leadership for seven seasons. He scored 20 or more goals five years in a row, 1980 through 1985.
After nine full seasons in Detroit, Larson was traded to Boston, where he played for two seasons, and then to the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars, Buffalo Sabres, and in Italy.
He was captain of the Red Wings in 1981 and 1982, played in the Stanley Cup finals with the Bruins in 1987, and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.