Russia Plane Crash Kills Former NHL Players (Video)

Russia Plane Crash: Which NHL Players Were Aboard?

A plane crash near Yaroslavl in Central Russia has killed up to 43 people. Most of the victims are players for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a Russian pro hockey team.

• Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Team Roster
  

Lokomotiv is a top team in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League). The plane, a Yakovlev Yak-42, was carrying the entire main team, as well as four members of the youth squad.

The Lokomotiv players on the plane who used to play with the NHL included:

• Head coach, Brad McCrimmon, former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach
• Karel Rachunek (Ottawa Senators)
  
• Ruslan Salei (Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings)
  
• Karlis Skrastins (Nashville Predators)
  
• Pavol Demitra (Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators)
  
• Josef Vasicek (Carolina Hurricanes)
  
• Alexander Vasyunov (New Jersey Devils)

KHL star Aleksander Galimov is one of the two confirmed survivors: he has burns to 80% of his body. The other survivor is a crew member.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The team was en route from Yaroslavl to Minsk, Belarus, where they were to play against Dynamo Minsk. 45 people were aboard the plane; apparently at least two people survived.

According to RT, the plane may have hit a light post after failing to reach proper altitude during takeoff. Later it was clarified that the plane hit an antenna.

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sourced by NowPublic Staff