Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash tragedy: Remembering the Russian hockey team that never returned home

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Jul 15, 2024 16:50 GMT

On September 7, 2011, a plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team crashed in Yaroslavl, Russia. The crash killed 44 out of 45 people on board, including many top players from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The news deeply saddened the hockey community worldwide.

Brad McCrimmon, Lokomotiv's new head coach at the time and a former NHL player, was among the victims. Known as 'Beast' and 'Sarge', McCrimmon played 1,222 NHL games and coached various teams, including the Detroit Red Wings. He had just begun coaching at Lokomotiv.

Other victims included former NHL players Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpotsev, who both played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The plane also carried well-known names like Karlis Skrastins, Ruslan Salei, Karel Rachunek, Josef Vasicek and Pavol Demitra.

Demitra, who played 847 NHL games and scored 768 points, left behind a wife and two children. He had received the Lady Byng Award in 2000 for being the NHL's most gentlemanly player.

Josef Vasicek, who won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes, was 30 years old and a vital player for Lokomotiv. The crash also took lesser-known but equally mourned players. It affected families and friends deeply, extending beyond the hockey community. The pain of such loss remains.

The reason behind Lokomotiv plane crash in Yaroslavl, Russia

These players' lives and careers were cut short by a plane that should have been retired months earlier. The crash was later attributed to the malpractice of the flight crew.

The investigation concluded that the crash resulted from inadequate training. The flight crew had made errors in the calculation of takeoff speed. Also, the pilot's incorrect use of wheel braking due to foot placement error was among the reasons.

Lokomotiv, which had become a powerhouse in the KHL, had to rebuild from this immense loss. Although the team eventually returned to the ice, the memory of those lost continues to surround them.

Another similar incident where a plane full of hockey players crashed

This wasn't the first time a plane crash had decimated a hockey team. In 1950, a plane crash in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) killed 19 people, including almost all members of the VVS Moscow club.

They were heading to a match in Chelyabinsk but diverted due to bad weather. Later, their plane crashed near Koltsovo Airport. Team manager Vasiliy Stalin covered up the crash and secretly formed a new team.

This September 7, it will be 13 years since the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash tragedy. It was one of the most tragic incidents in hockey that cost the NHL community many great talents.