A chartered Russian jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Tunoshna, Russia, on Wednesday, killing most of the members of the elite Russian hockey team Lokomotiv. The flight was on its way to Minsk, Belarus, for the opening game of the team’s hockey season. Reportedly among the dead are Lokomotiv head coach Brad McCrimmon, an NHL veteran, former NHL all-star Pavol Demetra, Swedish gold-medal winning goalie Stefan Liv, and current Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins.
The reaction among current and former NHL players was one of shock and great sadness. The loss comes on the heels of the deaths of three current and former NHL players over the off season.
