Lokomotiv ice hockey team.
They all perished in the plane crash
Terrible news from Russia today as we learn that most everyone on board a small plane were killed on take off.
The Yak-42 aircraft was leaving Yaroslavl, north of Moscow, and flying to Minsk in Belarus.
It crashed immediately after take-off from the city, which is on the Volga River about 150 miles from the capital.
The Emergency Situations Ministry said 45 people had been on board and only two are believed to have survived.
The Lokomotiv ice hockey team from Yaroslavl, a leading force in Russian hockey, were travelling on the plane.
They were going to Belarus for the opening game of the season in the Kontinental Hockey League against Dinamo Minsk on Thursday.
The wreckage, from Russian TV, on the Volga River
"Lokomotiv is coached by Canadian Brad McCrimmon, former Detroit Red Wings assistant, and includes several international stars in its ranks, such as goalkeeper Stefan Liv of Sweden and Czech Republic players Karel Ranuchek, Josef Vasicek and Jan Marek and Slovakia's Pavol Demitra.
Demitra, the Slovakian national team captain, played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks. Other top names include Russian defensemen Ruslan Salei and Karlis Skrastins."This is unbelievably tragic and hits close to home. Brad McCrimmon played for the NHL for 18 seasons. He spent years as a Philadelphia Flyers (1982-1987) playing with Big Tim Kerr, Brian Prop and the Sutter Brothers. He was a GREAT defenseman. After retiring as a player he became a coach on several teams.
He will be missed.
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