Plane crashes carrying Russia's Kontinental Hockey League Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team, 43 of 45 dead
Making the 2011 offseason even gloomier for the world of ice hockey, Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (NHL) team, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, was involved in a plane crash on Wednesday morning, September 7, in which 43 of 45 passengers on board died on the spot.
It was learned that the entire main leading roster of the team was involved in the brutal plane crash along with four players from the clubs youth affiliate team. The team management was certainly disheartened to have lost all of its players, something they
could not describe through their spokesman, Vladimir N. Malkov.
"We have no team anymore", Vladimir N. Malkov said in a telephone interview with the media. "All our starting players, and all the service people, they all burned in the crash".
Not all player death confirmations have been made so far, as the process of identifying the bodies is still going on. Those who have been confirmed as fatalities are head coach Brad McCrimmon along with players, Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Josef Vasicek,
Karel Rachunek, Jan Marek, Alexander Vasyunov, Karlis Skrastins and Stefan Liv.
The National Hockey League (NHL), already hit by three shocking deaths this year alone, was also grieved at the loss of one of Russia’s top ice hockey teams, terming it as unbelievable and very tragic.
NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, was one of the first officials to release a heartfelt situation after the incident took place.
"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world — including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends", NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in
a statement.
According to official reports, two passengers on the plane survived the horrific crash but is said to be in critical condition. Lokomotiv team forward, Alexander Galimov survived but lays in a grave state with his body which is 80 percent burnt. Doctors
have said that there is still hope that he might be able to come through.
It is truly a saddening situation as fans and people come together from all around the world and mourn the loss of some of hockey’s greatest.
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