Tragedy of KHL Team Causes Hockey World To Mourn

When I spotted the headlines as soon as I felt the emotion punch me in the gut. As if this hockey off-season has to have any more tragedy, the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russian: Локомотив Яросла́вль) died today in a horrible plane crash that killed 43 people. Included on that plane were many familiar names of NHL players and coach.


According to the news reports, the plane had a difficult time gaining altitude as it took off from the Yaroslavl airport clipping a tower in the process. The plane touched down 9 miles away in the Volga riverbank sending flaming debris in every direction. As if the horrific sight of a crashed plane was too much to bear, searching among the debris for survivors must have been just as taxing on a caring soul.

Among the dead were Pavol Demitra, who played for the St. Louis Blues and the Vancouver Canucks and was the Slovakian national team captain. Also killed were Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, Swedish goalie Stefan Liv, Latvian defenceman Karlis Skrastins and defenceman Ruslan Salei of Belarus, the Emergency Ministry said.

Looking at the biggest name on the list is Demitra. He was easily in the top 5 Slovak hockey players of all time and recently retired from the national team after the Olympics. He signed on to Yaroslavl hoping to finish his career. Will this scare off a number of veterans looking to make the jump over to the KHL? Safety issues in traveling will make more players wonder if playing for more money overseas is even worth it.

The rest of the list also included coach Brad McCrimmon who became the coach only 5 months earlier. He was a Detroit Red Wings assistant who finally got a chance to be a head coach of a pro team. He too will be missed.


A part of this tragedy is not knowing or understanding what to do next. We've looked to sports on a number of occasions to revive our own lives and relieve our mourning. But when the tragedy involves the sport and no doubt bringing it to a halt, the mind will have to search for existential answers elsewhere.



[Via: Rogers Sportsnet]

Russian Leage and NHL Call Truce

Even if the NHL cannot get an agreement with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, at least today they can breathe a sigh of relief that the recently talked about Russian Super League will not tamper with players under outstanding NHL contracts.

[Bill] Daly said the NHL and KHL established a mutual understanding since meeting at the IIHF world championships in Canada in May.

The wheels turn slow, I guess, when contract talks are getting ironed out in the hockey world.

Now that an agreement between these new rivals are being solidified, both sides representing here offered up the diplomatic soundbites and pull-out quotes.

"There is no sense to make a war," IIHF president Rene Fasel said. "Everyone agrees we could make a war very easily, but with no winner. The loser will be the game.

That last sentence stands out to me. NHLPA, are you taking notes? This agreement was made on the betterment of the game. They sound like they want to put the game first.

"Even if we don't have a transfer agreement today we have a very good understanding of each other."

Sounds like something to work on, but I am also typing with my fingers crossed that not too much time elapses between here and a new IIHF agreement.

The group will also look at plans to globalize the game, including holding a World Cup in 2012.

Woo! This is going to be interesting. Will it be a return of the 8 team tournament that was held back in 2004? Will the "big glass vase" get dusted off of Team Canada's trophy case and defended once again?

[Via: TSN.ca]