Jordan Posted 7 September 2011 Posted 7 September 2011 A Soviet-era short/mid distance plane crashed in Russia today en route to taking HK Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to their season opening game in Minsk. Reports seem a little fuzzy even hours after the crash, with some suggesting the entire team on board was killed or all but one player was killed and the lone survivor has suffered horrible injuries. The Kontinental Hockey League has issued a statement and a club official said that at first they couldn't believe what happened, but confirmed sadly the tragedy. I heard the opening "super cup"-style game that starts the KHL season was going on when the disaster unfolded and has been abandoned. Sad news for the hockey world. It was a bad enough summer for hockey anyway, with three NHLers found dead (all with mental and physical health concerns that existed at the time of death). I'm not sure there's been a summer like this in hockey's history. As awful as this is, there is precedent for teams that have suffered similar tragedies to recover. The U.S. figure skating team, Torino, Allianza Lima, The Strongest, Manchester United, and Marshall University's American football team come to mind. Pavol Demitra, former long time NHL player and captain of the Slovakian national team, is one of the confirmed dead (42 in total, I think). Head coach Brad McCrimmon--himself a former NHLer--is feared dead. Another former NHLer, Ruslan Salei, is on the roster but I heard he may have already been in Minsk (he is Belarussian) and escaped the disaster.
Salieri Posted 7 September 2011 Posted 7 September 2011 Just saw the headline on MSN news, says 44 dead. Tragic.
Mike the Metal Ed Posted 7 September 2011 Posted 7 September 2011 Former Senators Karel Rachunek and Pavol Demitra among the team . R.I.P. to all who died.
Jordan Posted 7 September 2011 Author Posted 7 September 2011 Former Senators Karel Rachunek and Pavol Demitra among the team . R.I.P. to all who died. There are so few degrees of separation in professional hockey that players all over the world are devastated by the news. It's as if every team in the NHL and KHL is affected in some way. I read a bunch of comments from a few of the New York Rangers today, and some of the guys were devastated. Artem Anisimov, who is from Yaroslavl and knows many of Lokomotiv's players, seemed completely heartbroken. Lokomotiv player Alexander Galinov has apparently survived the crash but is just holding on to life, with 80 percent burns.
Koke Posted 9 September 2011 Posted 9 September 2011 Alexander Galimov is one of 2 survivors [the other being a crew member] ,though I don't believe it looks too good for him at the moment with 80% of burns to his body. Hockey career is most likely over, though at this point I'm sure that's a moot point for him and his loved ones. Will be a miracle if he recovers.
Jordan Posted 12 September 2011 Author Posted 12 September 2011 Galimov has died, poor guy, R.I.P I can't even imagine the pain he experienced in the aftermath of the crash. His burns were horrible, and he was aware of everything going on. It's sad that he died after 5 days of struggling to stay alive, as he became a talisman of sorts for Russia and especially for Lokomotiv fans (he was a local boy done good). Miraculously, Alexander Sizov, the flight attendant that survived the crash, was moved out of the ICU today and is in stable condition. That's great news on another terrible day in the aftermath of the crash. The KHL has announced that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will play this season, and the league is expected to hold a dispersal draft. I'd guess that each team will be able to protect most of the players on their rosters, and Lokomotiv will be able to choose 2 or 3 unprotected players from each team.
Footnote75 Posted 12 September 2011 Posted 12 September 2011 Apparently they've now decided they won't play this season, at least in the KHL. They might start again in a lower league and give the juniors a chance.
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