Russian Ice-Hockey team (w/int'l players) killed in Airplane Crash

[PeDe]

World - 07 September 2011 14:50 Updated 07th September 2011 15:44
By REUTERS


A Russian airliner with a hockey team on board has crashed at the start. 36 are killed and one missing.

At least 36 people are killed in a plane crash in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, said a security source for the news agency Interfax. According to preliminary information, there were 37 people on board the aircraft, writes Interfax. There are different reports about the last person's destiny. A spokesman for the Russian emergencies ministry says that a person has survived the crash, while other sources say that the 37th person on board is still missing.

Among the passengers was the Russian hockey team Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl, says a source at the aviation brigade. The team was traveling to the capital of Belarus, Minsk, to play the game. Lokomotiv have a Canadian coach and several foreign players, including from Sweden, Germany, Poland and Czech Republic.

There are foreigners among those killed, said a source with Interfax, but their nationality is not yet published. The German news agency dpa writes that a German player, according to preliminary information, has died, but it is not confirmed from official quarters. The plane is type Yak-42.

It crashed and caught fire as it was about to take off from the airport in Yaroslavl, located 250 km northeast of the capital Moscow. Sources in the Russian aviation security service says that the plane had just relieved when it suddenly tipped to the left and then rushed to ground about 500 meters from the airport. The cause of the accident is not immediately clear. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation underway and has sent Transport Minister Igor Levitin to the scene, writes Reuters.

[PeDe]

the first names are published   may they all rest in peace!

Sweden: Stefan Liv


Germany: Robert Dietrich


Czech Republik:
Karel Rachunek


Jan Marek

[PeDe]

BBC

A chartered jet carrying Russia's major league ice hockey team Lokomotiv has crashed on take-off near the central city of Yaroslavl, with 43 deaths.

Two people survived with serious injuries after the disaster, which saw the jet burst into flames shortly after leaving an airport near the city.

It appears many of the team were aboard, heading to Belarus for the season's first match.

Russian reports suggest the jet may have struck a radio mast.

Witnesses saw it burst into flames shortly after taking off from the airport, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Moscow.

A number of foreign citizens were killed, including the team's Canadian coach, Brad McKinnon, and Swedish goalie Stefan Liv.

Russian player Alexander Galimov survived the crash with 80% burns along with a member of the crew. Russian media briefly reported the player had died of his injuries, but a medical source later told the Russian news website Sovetsky Sport he was still alive.

The chairman of the board of directors of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Vyacheslav Fetisov, described the air disaster as an "irreparable loss for world ice hockey".

A local policeman told the BBC Russian service he had seen the plane come down.

He said the plane had barely taken off before it plunged to the ground, and he saw "flames as high as a nine-storey building".

Russian aviation officials were quoted as saying the Yak-42 jet had failed to gain height and hit a radio mast, breaking up and catching fire.

[Rita]

heard the news on TV.
this is just unfair.
My Prayer goes to their famillies and friends.

[Snow Queen]

Oh goodness....this gives me cold chills. How horribly sad 

[Idun]

Stefan Liv was such a wonderful person, always happy and smiling, truly kind and a warm person, always doing his best and always saving us when it was needed I've never heard a bad thing being said about him, everyone seemed to like him. He was recently married and had two little children  This tragedy is dreadful. So many young persons dead, in a plane that was scheduled to be taken out of use on october 1 2011 

When the painter asked what Stefan wanted on his helmet, there was no doubt. He wanted the newborn son.
- It's the greatest thing that has ever happend to me and it's fun that he can be with me up there. He get to be with daddy on work.
If the son should start to play hockey later in life, has not yet been decided. Liv was known for his helmet portraits, having had princess Madeleine, singers and Stefans mother. Stefan also chose to honour his father one year, by wearing the number 60 on his back. His father would have celebrated his 60th birthday that year.



Performing his victory dances in full hockey gear for the audience  This is how he should be remembered. There will never be anyone like him again 

[Little_star]

How sad. 

[Idun]

One player survived and is still alive, fighting for his life. It's likely the only survivor from the team. It's critical  Aleksandr Galimov has a broken hip, a punctured lung, kidney damages, breathing difficulties and has suffered bad burns covering 90% of his body.

All of you who say prayers, say some for him. It sounds as if he could need it  He's only 26.




Stefan Liv memorial service was held tonight at the hockey arena of his old club HV71

[Odette]

Brings tears to my eyes...how tragic.  Prayers to all.

[PeDe]

more names are transpiring


Alexander Karpovtsev , 41

assistant coach for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in Russia's Kontintental Hockey League12 seasons with five NHL teams before finishing his career with two seasons in the KHL. He had 34 goals and 154 assists in 596 NHL games.



Igor Korolev, 41

assistant coach for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in Russia's Kontintental Hockey League
played with the Hawks for one full season, 2001-02, and parts of the next two seasons at the same time as Karpovtsev.



Pavol Demitra, 36

a three-time NHL All-Star who helped Slovakia win a world championship bronze medal in 2003. He scored 304 goals in 847 NHL games.



Ruslan Salei, 36

a defenseman from Belarus who played in 917 NHL games for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings.



Karlis Skrastins, 37

a defenseman from Latvia who played in 832 NHL games for the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche.



Josef Vasicek, 28

a Czech professional ice hockey centre who last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Vašíček was drafted 91st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He scored his first hat trick against the San Jose Sharks. Won Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. Vašíček was traded to the Nashville Predators in the Summer of 2006 for Scott Walker.  In early 2007, he was traded back to Carolina for Éric Bélanger. On August 14, 2007, Vašíček signed a 1-year, $750,000 contract with the New York Islanders.


Robert Dietrich, 25

Dietrich was drafted for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. He played with the DEG Metro Stars from 2005 to the 2008. On July 16, 2007, Dietrich was signed to a three-year entry level contract with the Predators. He was re-assigned on loan to the Metro Stars for his first year of the contract, before he spent the final two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals. On June 8, 2010, Dietrich returned to Germany and signed a two-year contract with Adler Mannheim.



Karel Rachůnek, 31

Rachůnek was a member of the Czech national hockey team at the 2008 Men's World Inline Hockey Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. He also won a gold medal with the Czech national hockey team in Czech Republic - Summer 2011 IIHF Hockey Championships. Rachunek was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) when the team's plane crashed on September 7, 2011. He played eight seasons in North America in the National Hockey League (NHL). Rachunek was drafted in the ninth round, 229th overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.



Jan Marek, 31

a Czech professional ice hockey centre, playing for HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected by the New York Rangers in the 8th round (243rd overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. From the New York Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft (later traded to Buffalo on June 21, 2008) for Sean Avery and John Seymour on Feb. 5, 2007.



Brad McCrimmon

Brad McCrimmon served under Babcock for three seasons after being assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers, Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. Canadian manager Brad McCrimmon was coaching Lokomotiv this season.

[Charlotte]

 

[thrilla]

They didn't deserve that! 

[PeDe]

Alexander Galimov,

is a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

and Flight Crew Member Alexander Sizov, the only two surviviors, are fighting for their lives in intensive care at the moment.

Thirty-five bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said, and the search for those still missing continued into the night. Many of the bodies were recovered from the Volga River after the plane crashed on its banks near the airport, the ministry said


I just hope they went fast...very, very fast...nobody derserves to die in a f***ing scrap airplane like this. My heart goes out to all the ones left behind.

[DowntownTO]

It's been a terrible year for the hockey community and it just gets worse and worse. My sympathy to the families, friends, and colleagues of all those who died, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to the survivors. Russia needs to move a lot faster to get those old flying tin cans out of service before they kill even more people.

[PeDe]

From a Czech fan - To nejmenši co jsem pro vás mohl udělat, R.I.P panové, by David Vycudilík (= The least I could do for you, RIP gentlemen, by David Vycudilík)

http://youtu.be/JO00zGGJRj8