Tarasenko told Blues to get Panarin before Blackhawks signed him

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.

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock joked Tarasenko might be better suited to St. Louis' front office based on the advice.

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.