Today is another sad day in the world of hockey.
This morning, it was confirmed that a plane crash in Western Russia took the lives of over 40 people. In that plane were 37 people who were either players or coaches for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a hockey franchise in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. 36 players were confirmed dead at the scene, and another player passed away at a local hospital following the crash. The plane also had eight crew members, seven of which are believed to be dead.
A handful of players and coaches who played for Lokomotiv had been involved with the NHL. They are as follows:
– Pavol Demitra: 847 career games, 304 goals, 768 points
– Josef Vasicek: 460 career games, 77 goals, 183 points
– Karel Rachunek: 371 career games, 22 goals, 140 points
– Karlis Skratins: 832 career games, 32 goals, 136 points. Set consecutive game streak played by defenseman at 487 games Febuary 8, 2007, passing ex-Sabre Tim Horton. Streak ended at 495 games in 2007.
– Stefan Liv: Never appeared in an NHL game but spent time with Detroit Red Wings as backup goalie.
– Ruslan Salei: 917 career games, 45 games, 204 points.
– Jan Marek: Drafted by the New York Rangers in 2003 but never appeared in an NHL game.
– Alexander Vasyunov: 18 games, 1 goal, 5 points
– Brad McCrimmon: 1222 career games, 81 goals, 403 points as a player. Assistant coach for the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Detroit Red Wings.
– Alexander Karpovtsev: 596 career games, 34 goals, 188 points
– Igor Korolev: 795 career games, 119 goals, 346 points.
The complete list of confirmed fatalities can be found at the following link.
All of us at Sabres Hockey Central send our thoughts out to everyone who was affected by this terrible tragedy.
Be sure to keep updated on the latest developing news regarding this plane crash here at Sabres Hockey Central.