Russian Plane Crash Kills 43, Including Top Hockey Stars and NHL Veterans
The NHL’s off-season continues to be one of grim news.
A plane carrying a hockey team with international players, including some NHL veterans, crashed as it took off Wednesday afternoon from Russia’s Yaroslavl airport, killing at least 43 people, Russian emergency officials said.
The Yak-42 aircraft was taking players for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl — one of Russia’s leading ice hockey teams — to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, the Russian aviation authority told CNN.
Two of the 45 people aboard the plane, which included eight crew members, survived, a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry representative said. Eleven of those on the aircraft were foreigners, the ministry said.
Yaroslavl’s regional governor, Sergei Vakhrukov, named the two survivors as Russian forward Alexander Galimov and flight crew member Alexander Sizov. Both are being treated in intensive care.
Among the dead are the team’s coach Brad McCrimmon who played 18 seasons in the NHL and several years as assistant coach with the Islanders, Flames, Thrashers and Red Wings before taking the job as the coach for Lokomitiv Yaroslavl. At least five other former NHLers were on board the plane.
The KHL is one of the top professional leagues in the world. The league’s season was to open tomorrow.
The above tweet is from Hockey News writer Adam Proteau. Pretty much say it all. It’s been a cruel summer for hockey.
