He was the director of the Faculty of Physical Education at the Université de Montréal, researched the development of ice hockey players, and wrote books and manuals for coaches in English and French.
[3] Larivière was appointed to the Hockey Canada board of directors in July 1976, as one of the two government representatives in his role as head of physical education at the Université de Montréal.
[4] While with Hockey Canada, he undertook missions to France and African French countries to instruct members of the youth and sports ministries.
When Canada returned to international play in 1977, Larivière collaborated with Derek Holmes to recruit players for the World Championships and for ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
[6][7] In an interview with The Globe and Mail in advance of the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championships, Larivière said "We're gearing at those players who will not be offered the lucrative contracts.
[8] In August 1980, Larivière and his Université de Montréal colleague Claude Chapleau proposed to train a group of boys aged 12 to 13 years old, in a multiple-year program.
[9] Chapleau stated that the original research applied by the Europeans was developed by Canadians, but never put into effect here in Canada, and that this endeavour would be the first of its kind in North America.
[11] He also created the sport school program which began training players at age 12, including on-ice and academic components similar to a university environment.
[5] Career record as a head coach:[13][14] Larivière authored books and papers of his research and theories dealing with identifying and developing talent, growth and maturity, and evaluating physical fitness.
[16] Larivière co-authored a 2002 study which looked at the physical development of female athletes aged 13 to 15, with respect to the sports of tennis, swimming, figure skating and volleyball.
[17] On January 23, 2013, Larivière was named president of the QMJHL Technical Commission to advise on current league programs, find the best development results for its players, recommend improvements.