Entire KHL Hockey Team Killed in Plane Crash in Russia
 

including former NHL stars Pavol Demitra and Brad McCrimmon who was the coach of the team.

MOSCOW?A Russian jet carrying a local hockey team crashed Wednesday while taking off in western Russia, killing 36 people and leaving one critically injured, officials said.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42 crashed immediately after taking off from an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River, 240 kilometres northeast of Moscow. It said one person survived the crash with grave injuries.

The ministry said the plane was carrying the Continental Hockey League (KHL)?s Lokomotiv hockey team from Yaroslavl.

The Lokomotiv team consists of ex-NHL players including Josef Vasicek who played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders; Pavol Demitra who played for the Ottawa Senators from 1993-1996, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks from 2008 to last year.

As well as, Karel Rachunek who played for the Ottawa Senators from 2000 to 2004. He also played for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

The team?s head coach is Canadian Brad McCrimmon. McCrimmon was an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings before joining Lokomotiv earlier this year.

It is not known if they were on the plane.

The team was heading to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season of the CHL.

The CHL is a league of several ex-Soviet countries.

Interfax cited a security official as saying the plane caught fire after the crash near the airport.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered Transport Minister Igor Levitin to travel to the site.

The crash occurred while Russia was hosting an international political forum in Yaroslavl that President Dmitry Medvedev was expected to address this week.

With files from Reuters and the Associated Press

very sad...

A real tragedy, some great players in there... and oh, thanks for alarming everyone by saying "entire NHL hockey team killed". It wasn't the Boston Bruins or Philly Flyers.

that is terrible...

Sad indeed :/ We had one Swede who died on the plain too. Goalie: Stefan Liv, RIP

what are u talking about - my title says KHL not NHL.

yeah that is sad...a lot of families are devastated today

The title says KHL hockey team?? :error

Wow, the hockey world is taking a beating this year. The NHL has had 3 current and former players die as well. Boogaard, Rypien and lastly Belak.

R.I.P. all the people that perished in this crash...

RIP...sad stuff.

Sid Crosby's press-conference is in 2 hours btw.

this is very sad, r.i.p.

That's horrible, tragic news.

On a side note my buddy's company sends their executives all over the world and never allows them on the same flight. If 3 high level execs are going to Hing Kong which they do often, each one is on a different flight.

can't so this with a 30 person team though

there was also three guys from czech and one from slovak national team ... horrible very sad ...

hockey world is having it rough the last few months

haha sorry...I guess I see what I want see.

this has not been a good summer for hockey at all.. very sad

You want to see an entire NHL team killed? That's fucked up, man...







:winkwink:

Another "we are Marshall". Very sad.
RIP.

wow... this is crazy news

condolences to their families and friends :(

Defying the laws of gravity can be hazardous ...

so sad whats going on in the hockey world. terrible news about this crash =/

Wow that is very sad.

:( very sad to hear

horrible :(:(

Coach Canadian.

Damn... so on a technical level do they forfeit the rest of the season or???

i was thinking the same thing

They'll play with their skeleton crew.


http://www.iamstaggered.com/usa/file...10/rimshot.jpg

sad news...

Such a tragedy,RIP to those players

R.i.p. ...

This is horrible, one of my best friends who was a talented AJAX soccer player including his team of talented players also died in a airline accident.

RIP

http://media.novinky.cz/677/286777-top_foto1-60w8z.jpg

have good times in heaven hockey league :thumbsup

I believe the other teams offered to hold a draft so Lokimotiv could restock the team, but I think I heard they're shutting down (the team - not the league) for the year and will decide later what action they'll take for next season.