KHL Tragedy: Lokomotiv Plane Crash Kills 43, including Former Islander Josef Vašíček
by Dominik on Sep 7, 2011 10:43 AM EDT
in Islanders of Yesteryear
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[Updated with statement from Islanders GM Garth Snow, reactions from Evgeni Nabokov]
News is filtering in from Russia about an awful tragedy that may have killed most of if not the entire roster for KHL team Lokomotiv, in a plane crash shortly after takeoff near Yaroslavl. Russia Today reports:
"HK Lokomotiv confirmed that its entire 37-strong main squad was on board the Yak-42. They were traveling to the Belarusian capital Minsk."
Puck Daddy has more, and you might look for updates at Dmitry Chesnokov's Twitter.
I have no words. I don't want to gawk at tragedies. But some beloved former NHLers were on that roster -- ex-Islander Josef Vasicek; Slovakian Pavol Demitra are listed -- so expect to be affected by the news as confirmed names come out. To re-iterate, I have seen no individual fatalities identified as of this posting, but they'll be trickling in.
Update 11:30 a.m. EDT: Pavol Demitra's agent confirms he was killed in the crash
Update: 12:15 p.m. EDT: Multiple outlets cite the Czech embassy in Russia as confirming former Islander Josef Vašíček is among the dead, along with fellow Czechs Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek.
The list is long and devastating, on a horrible day for hockey.
Update: 3:45 p.m. EDT: Statement from Islanders GM Garth Snow:
New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow's statement regarding the Lokomotiv plane crash:
“The entire New York Islanders organization is saddened by the confirmed reports of the devastating plane crash involving the Kontinental Hockey League club, Lokomotiv. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families that lost loved ones on that flight. Three members of the Islanders family were passengers, including former assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev and forward Josef Vasicek. We send our deepest sympathies to everyone who has been affected by this tragic event.”
The Islanders also posted reactions from goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, the goalie who was playing in the KHL just a year ago:
"I think I knew 80 percent of the team."
Feel free to post updates and links you see in comments here, and share thoughts. What a sad day for so many.
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Ouch
Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov reports that “Lokomotiv official tells Sovetsky Sport ‘everyone from the main roster was on the plane plus four players from the youth team.’ Lokomotiv official said the entire team was on the plane because they were traveling for the 1st game of the season, a celebration.”
I saw someone mentioning a YAK-42 on twitter, had no idea what it was about. This is the strangest summer for hockey fans ever.
"Maybe (Frans) should concentrate more on FO rather than the thugging aspect of his game." - AP77
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Just brutal
What a tragedy for those families. And for the hockey world, so many names people know on that team. Ugh.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Demitra confirmed to be on the plane via his Agent
"Maybe (Frans) should concentrate more on FO rather than the thugging aspect of his game." - AP77
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Damn
He was by all accounts a fantastic guy.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
"Pavol Millions"
In St. Louis his teammates called him “Pavol Millions.”
Because back when his English was still really rough and he finally earned a big contract, they’d ask him, “Hey Pavol, how much do you make now?” And he’d say “three millions. How many millions you make?”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Brad McCrimmon
Was the coach…assumed dead also…
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=375297
Get out of the sticks, Charles, move to Queens!! Come, Get some respect a Professional team deserves!!
Former Assistant Coach of the Isles as well.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
I am working but I keep periodically getting choked up whenever I think about all of this. I cannot believe how sad this is.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Very premature to identify the victims of this tragedy.
I have read so many conflicting reports as to who was and wasn’t on the plane that it is impossible for anyhting definitive at this point. In any event, this is a senseless tragedy that I hope the NHL recognizes as well.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
Just Terrible
Ruslan Salei, Joesf Vasicek, and Pavol Demitra all gone. Even players on their junior team were on the plane. The only sliver of good news is that Colby Armstrong’s brother who was on the team said on his twitter that he was not on the plane. The quote from the team just gets me when he says “At first we didn’t want to belive it, but now there is no hope, the team is gone.” This off-season couldn’t end soon enough.
Second update from Puck Daddy
One player from Lokomotiv has survived the crash. Alexander Galimov, a 26-year-old forward who has been with the team since 2004, has been hospitalized with burns to 80-percent of his body.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Sep 7, 2011 11:18 AM EDT reply actions
dam
let’s hope they aren’t 2nd or 3rd degree burns
"Maybe (Frans) should concentrate more on FO rather than the thugging aspect of his game." - AP77
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
they are reporting he succumbed to injuries.
"Maybe (Frans) should concentrate more on FO rather than the thugging aspect of his game." - AP77
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
I am so sad.
I am working and crying at the same time.
I really like JoVas- I said many times I wish the Isles had kept him.
I cannot believe what a terrible tragedy this is. The season is about to start, and their entire team is- gone.
I cannot even imagine. :(
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Devastated
I’m having that weird human dissonance, hoping against hope that JoVas’ name doesn’t appear. Seeing “Demitra confirmed dead” just dropped a boulder in my stomach.
I always wished the Isles had kept Vasicek around…
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I always wished the Isles had kept Vasicek around…
I know. You and I have talked about it before, Dom- and I liked that I was not alone in liking and missing the guy.
I am so sad.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes... here's one place...
What a tragedy for all involved. Here is snipet of how the three of us, and others, felt about JoVas…
these events are supposed to give us perspective… all they really do is suck!
Lighthouse Hockey: Home of the "STROME-BOLI"!
Thanks for voting "YES" on Aug 1st... just not enough of you!!!
by JPinVA on Sep 7, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
You are like the LHH archivist!
Pulling these out of the library.
Rec’d for these “perspective” moments simply sucking. The weather just turned cool here; I can feel the onset of my annual autumn funk that hockey is usually supposed to cure.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Not really...
I always think of him as one of those players that didn’t make the transition in the turnaround from Nolan to Gordon. They have and will try to recreate what he brought with guys like Joensuu(fail?) and Lee(great expectations) but they had him with no competition for his services. I was thinking about making that part of the Fan Post I put up a few days ago…so I happened to remember that conversation.
Lighthouse Hockey: Home of the "STROME-BOLI"!
Thanks for voting "YES" on Aug 1st... just not enough of you!!!
Rec'd.......
The way this is going the Captian of the next Cup contending Islanders team is still in grade school......Results do matter..
I just don't know what to say here.....as some of you know well, Josie was my favorite player on that '07-08 team.....
…..gut-wrenching, no other way to put it:(
agreed
I always thought he was a good player and a real asset to the club – even in those pajamas. You found a great picture to honor him by. I really hope that he missed the team bus and got stranded at home.
I’ve also heard that Alex Vasyunov, who was a rookie with the Devils last season, was killed in the crash. That hurts on a selfish level – he was a great Fake Panther for us, for many years. I had a similar jolt when German national team goalie Robert Müller died of cancer.
It doesn’t mean anything in the big picture. It’s already a little unsettling to have these actual people reduced to sets of probabilities in a simulation. But if you’re anything like me, you build personalities of sorts around these numeric avatars. Narratives start to form around the events and your imagination fills in the gaps. You begin to feel that you “know” these players. I actually felt proud when Denis Kulyash won the KHL hardest shot competition last season… I fleeced Nashville for his rights (a fifth-rounder! Look at me getting my Garth on!) and he played his whole “career” for us, retiring just a few weeks ago.
When I think of Vasyunov, I picture him crossing behind Bryan Cameron and flicking wrist shots back against the grain over the goalie’s blocker, or whipping wads of tape at Kulyash after finding another pile of shaving cream in his shoes, or billeting Artyem Filatov during his rookie year; I think of the 33 goals and 33 assists that he won’t get the chance to score in 2018-19, and the fake Stanley Cup rings with his name on them.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
This is so, so tragic...Vas was a good player...He played well for Nolan...
My prayers go out to everyone who’s effected…What does an organization do when they lose every single one of their players?I cant help but imagine what would happen if an NHL team just simply got wiped out…What would they do?Call up the AHL affiliates???This is fucked up…
Imagine a whole team being wiped out
That right there is just a horrific thought. Sometimes we lose good people, but a whole team is mind blowing. I couldn’t figure out how a plane that only crashed 500 yards away from the runway could be such a devastating crash, but apparently the whole plane went up in flames.
"We have no team any more," Vladimir N. Malkov, the spokesman, said in a telephone interview. "All our starting players, and all the service people, they all burned in the crash."
It is a sad, sad day not only in the hockey world, but just in the world, period,
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
That's what i was thinking.
Even in the KHL, where there is no salary cap, the team might just have to sit out this season (unless they’re gonna just hire some more players just to fill out the roster). Can you imagine the same thing happening here? I don’t know if an NHL team could recover. It would likely fold. Maybe John Madden is right.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Sep 7, 2011 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
I wonder if they would do an expenasion draft type of thing. I mean, they have to do something.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
The team president said they would keep hockey alive in Yaroslavl
That its the right thing to do for the team members involved and the city. So I’m sure once everything settles, the league will push for some kind of resolution
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
by Chris McNally on Sep 7, 2011 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
there are disaster contingencies
Basically the league would hold an expansion draft to restock the club. As cold-blooded as it sounds, they measure out the various scenarios, based on how much of the roster is “killed or incapacitated.”
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Yeah there really is no other way
Just unimaginable.
No Sleep 'til....
I’m guessing they first see if they can hire anyone out there who already don’t have jobs for this coming season, including aging NHLers. But this is going to take a long time to restock the club in a proper way. There are only so many free agents per season.
An expansion draft? Well, I guess that could happen, but you know how expansion teams look. In either event, it’s going to be a devastated team, with devastated fans, for the foreseeable future. They could use some good news after things settle down, but I don’t see that happening for years.
Best of luck keeping the team going. It’s going to take an unparalleld effort not only on the part of the team and league, but by the fans as well.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Sep 7, 2011 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Incredibly
The NHL actually has a contingency plan for this, when as few as five players are killed/disabled.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Wow.
That’s eye-opening that they actually thought about this.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Sep 7, 2011 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I think, if I remember correctly
that a lot of leagues came up with these plans after the 1958 Munich air disaster, where Manchester United’s plane crashed and 8 players died and two survivors never played again. It was one of the first of these situations.
In a past life, I was called fightoffyourdemons.
I write a bit for The Short Fuse.
by Thomas Wachtel on Sep 8, 2011 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions
A history of air disasters in professional soccer
May 4, 1949, the aircraft carrying the Torino Soccer team back home from an exhibition in Lisbon crashed in foggy conditions into Superga Basilica on a hill overlooking Turin. All 31 people on board were killed, including the 18 players and two coaches.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
they all burned in the crash
I just saw a news photo of them stretchering a body out of the water that I really wish I could unsee now.
I just can’t imagine these guys having typical hockey locker room banter one minute, and the next they’re being fished out. And why did this happen this week?! Oh, life … it’s something else.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I was thinking the same thing
They were all probably joking around in the airport and 20 mins later they’re all gone. It’s gotta scare the shit out of you.
I’ve been scouring the ‘net for updates but I refuse to look at any pictures from this tragedy. It’s sad enough thinking about it. No need to make it worse seeing it.
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
by Chris McNally on Sep 7, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Not the first time it's hapened.
I recall a story long ago about the the Soviet Air Force’s team being in a similar horrific crash killing everyone on board.
Get out of the sticks, Charles, move to Queens!! Come, Get some respect a Professional team deserves!!
It definitely happened in the past.
In 1979 a First Division soccer team in the then Soviet League perished in the mid-air collision with another plane. Back in those days, the fact of the crash was not immediately known. Everything was censored. No such thing as Free Speech, no internet, no phone service.
wow that is a hell of a quote
I have always said it is incredible that we have not seen this type of thing before. It is so sad
Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all
by Rickfansince76 on Sep 8, 2011 7:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Not that its good news that someone may have died INSTEAD of someone else
but CBC Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman reported that some of the names being speculated about are from an old KHL roster.
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
I have heard conflicting reports
For example, Ruslan Salei is said to have gone on ahead and is safely in Minsk. I have no confirmation of this, however.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Salei and Karlis Skrastins
Traded for each other a few seasons ago, now teammates in Yaroslavl.
Oh, and can you believe it? There’s already an “R.I.P Lokomotiv Yaroslav” Facebook page. On one level I understand it completely, but on another… what the hell? Are you supposed to “like” that page? Is there a button for “gutted by sickening tragedy”?
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I agree
That’s why, even though there have been some good messages on this post, I’ve held back from rec’ing anyone because its hard to like anything about this story
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
by Chris McNally on Sep 7, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
agreed on rec's
And ironically, it makes me want to rec your comment as well.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I was wondering the same thing
Was searching for confirmation on JoVas and saw a ton of “RIP Vasicek” pages. Wasn’t sure what to do there…a lot of sentiments being shared there though.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
List, reported by Peter Adler of Edmonton Journal: "UPDATE from Peter Adler: Herewith the list of those who were aboard the Yak-42 plane that crashed Wednesday, killing the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team of the KHL
Coaches: Brad McCrimmon, Igor Korolev, Alexander Karpovtsev, Nikolai Krivonosov, Jorma Valtonen.
Goalies: Stefan Liv, Alexander Vyukhin.
Defence: Pavel Tarkhanov, Karel Rachůnek, Robert Ditrich, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, Michail Baladnin, Vitalij Anikeyenko, Marat Kalimulin, Jurij Urichev.
Forwards: Alexander Galimov, Daniil Sobchenko, Jan Marek, Ivan Tkachenko, Alexander Vasiunov, Gennady Churilov, Nikita Klyukin, Alexander Kalyanin, Sergei Ostapchuk, Pavol Demitra, Josef Vašíček, Artyom Jarchuk, Alexander Romanovskyi, Andrej Kiryukhin.
Crew: Andrei Solomentsev (captain), Igor Zhevelov (first officer), Sergei Zhuravlev, Elena Formatova, Nadezhda Maksomova, ? Muzacharov, ? Salin, ? Mayushkin, Alexander Sizov."
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Sep 7, 2011 12:02 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Truly awful
It’s almost beyond comprehension. Sad doesn’t even cover it.
This off-season can’t end soon enough. Just one tragic story after another.
"He's depriving some small village of a pretty good idiot" - Mike Milbury on Ziggy Palffy's agent Paul Kraus.
Alexander Karpovtsev
Won the Stanley Cup with Edmonton East in ’94… very briefly an Islander pre-lockout.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I remember after every time Karpovtsev's name was announced during games
when he was on the Rangers, my dad would always say “God Bless You”.
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
by Chris McNally on Sep 7, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
We called him
“Carpet Fresh”
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Sep 7, 2011 12:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Didn't he hit like a freight train?
I could be thikning of someone else, but I thought he was known for bludgeoning people out there, and not dirty.
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom?" ~ Death
Indeed, he was.
He was a terrific hitter and even better shot blocker. I remember vividly him going down on one knee (Russian/Soviet style) blocking a shot and being back in the play within half a second. RIP, Potsy.
Potsy reminded me of a Ranger version of Martinek.
Vastly underrated and could play all situations. One of the few pieces of the 94 cup that didn’t come from Edmonton.
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
Devastated
What a tragedy.
Heard some rumors that the plane was about to be taken out of service in three weeks time, the flight certificate would expire on October 1st. The plane has been used since 1993 and since 1980 it’s been five major accidents with this type of airplane.
I’ve a friend who plays the sport bandy which is very popular in Russia. He used to play some pre- season games in Russia every year and said he was terrified every time he had to travel with plane in Russia due to the poor condition of the regular planes.
As mentioned earlier in the thread Swedish goalie and Red Wings draftee Stefan Liv was on the plane. He was one of the most well liked players in the SEL when he played here. Leaves wife and two young children.
Just saw pictures from Russian TV. They stopped a game (I think it was the season opener of the KHL) and the president of the league, Medvedev, announced that the plane had crashed.
What a tragic day..
I'm struck by how many people this affects in so many countries
This global game, man. Pulls us together.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
yeah
Just watched the news here and they had a reporter sent out to the city of Jönköping where Stefan Liv grew up (he played for Jönköping club HV71 and won the SEL several times). Reporter said the entire town was in chock.
This is just terrible and beyond words.
My heart and prayers to all those who perished and the families that lost members on this tragedy.
We are all Islanders, even if we’re from Jersey!
Are plane crashes more common in Russia than USA?
We don’t hear about too many plane crashes in the US compared to the high number of flights each day.
This is awful.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Sep 7, 2011 1:21 PM EDT reply actions
As far as I know
Russian planes are notorious for safety red flags and violations. They’re held together by pine tar and wishes.
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom?" ~ Death
Corruption is the problem.
All of those planes you just described would’ve been out of service decades ago. In the former USSR they are still using them because it’s much cheaper to bribe an inspector checking an old airplane or a boat, etc. than to spend tens of millions on a new fleet.
Don’t forget about pilots who aren’t checked for sobriety before flights, very lax security measures.
As a 19th century Russian poet, Fyodr Tutchev wrote: “Умо́м Росси́ю не поня́ть” which loosely translates to: “One cannot comprehend Russia with ones Gray Matter”.
Most of their airlines are small, pieced together with remnants from the USSR.
And not trying to come off cold, but that last sentence NSOsFan made me giggle. This is the one of the greatest sport tragedies of all time. Not even Marshall lost their whole team. May they RIP.
On a separate maybe this will bring a cooling of tensions between the KHL and NHL while we mourn together.
There do seem to be more horror stories about maintenance and close calls there
Old jets and cost-cutting and stuff. The impression is that their regulatory bodies aren’t as strict, but who knows. I also think some stories I hear are weather-related (“man, the snowstorm!”).
They’ve also had fewer decades as an open society, which is how negligence usually gets exposed in a tragedy → investigation → disturbing discoveries → outrage → regulation sort of cycle. North America has been through that cycle several times with flight.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Sep 7, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think Russia will make changes in regards to their airplanes after this tragedy.
I think because the Lokomotiv plane crash garnered international news attention, I expect Russia will wind up evaluating and updating their guidelines on airplane maintenance and inspections for the better.
I wonder how much attention it gets
I noticed it wasn’t getting prominent play on ESPN, much less the NYT. When I met my wife at home I said, “Did you hear about the plane?” and she had no idea. She asked, “Are you about to cry because it’s hockey?!?” and I told her about Vasicek and Demitra and McCrimmon and she was like, “I listened to NPR for an hour on the way home and they didn’t say a thing!!”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I checked ESPN shortly after it happened
Not on the front page, not even on the news sidebar. In order to read anything about it, I had to go to the NHL page. I imagine that international tragedy should have superseded a story about a college football coach, but that’s expecting way too much from ESPN these days.
Official choice of Lighthouse Dog #1.
To be fair
It was the first thing I heard this morning on NPR as I was waking up. Not a long report, but more than a couple sentences.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Sep 8, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
as an air traffic controller
I’ve worked the Antonov a few times (a giant cargo plane that can weigh as much as 1 million pounds fully loaded), and those things are scary. We had one depart and lost a piece of the plane 2 miles off the runway. We also had one come in and landed a few years prior to when i got here that had a fuel leak that filled the cargo bay full of jet fuel. it had to sit on the ramp for months before it was cleaned, fixed, and deemed flight-worthy again.
If the Yaks are anything like the antonovs (and i wouldn’t doubt that they are), then i really am not surprised that this happened.
According to TV channel Euronews, this is the 5th lethal plane crash in Russia since June.
by Kaonashi on Sep 8, 2011 3:23 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It's a scary list
In a lot of the incidents, the planes simply caught fire: August 9, July 11, New Year’s Day – and that’s just this year.
The January 1 fire occured while the plane was still on the runway, or many more people would have been killed; the others weren’t so fortunate. A different Soviet-era plane caught fire the prior November 28 and crashed – it was hauling relief supplies so only two were killed. It’s not so much Russia, as the Soviet aircraft involved; you see a lot of the same models over and over, and not just in Russia.
Exactly one year prior to this crash, a Tu-154 suffered complete failure of its electrical systems en route to Moscow; the crew safely landed the plane at a small airport in pretty much the literal middle of nowhere. (I looked up the location – there are no roads to and from and you have to helicopter in.)
I’m working off a wikipedia list of air disasters, fwiw.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I haven't read anything beyond this fanpost, but do people know if this was pilot malfunction or plane malfunction or weather related?
I’m wondering.
Not weather-related
Some scuttlebutt about the type of plane and operator that was used though.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
According to one of the articles I read,
the plane couldn’t gain altitude fast enough and collided with an antennae of the, sorry to say this, lighthouse. Part of the fuselage fell into the Volga river.
As if this wasn't sad enough
Hearing from some of the players really wrenches your heart. This is from Newsday.
Czech defenseman Radek Martinek, who was close friends with Vasicek while both played for the Islanders, was distraught.
“He was one of my best buddies. He was in my wedding. I can believe this,” said Martinek, who signed this summer with Columbus. “I don’t even want to think about this right now.”
I went to an Islanders Power Play and all I got was this broken stick
Poor Marty.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
by Turgeon1992 on Sep 7, 2011 1:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Omg, I am crying again. :(
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Very sad day in a hockey world.
Condolences to every family member, friends, and us – fans.
Considering today, nothing wrong with having Yashin on the ice. As per Strang:
KatieStrangNYI Katie Strang
Yashin talking to #Isles Russian prospect D Anton Klementyev about it now…absolutely heartbreaking news
Apparently Klementyev spent time practicing with some of the Locomotiv players, so it’s good he’s got someone here in NY to talk to about this crash.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
Good to hear
Klementyev took a big step for a young man and obscure pick. Glad he’s got someone to process this with.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Sep 7, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
....and somebody on IPB pointed out that,
were it not for the Isles giving Yash this opportunity to be part of the ‘11-’12 training camp, his name might very well have been on that list – not sure if Turgeon1992’s alluding to as much above…..
It is entirely possible that we could have been also mourning Yashin.
Yashin played two seasons with Lokomotiv. I wonder if that idea crossed Yashin’s mind today.
Although, I specifically meant that it is good Klementyev had a fellow countryman on a day when he lost many friends in a tragedy.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
Yashin played some games for Lokomotiv during the lockout, too.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Sep 7, 2011 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Ugh
Doomed Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Plane Was Banned In Europe Due To Safety Concerns deadspin.com/5838024
Slava Malamud
Doctor: “Galimov is alive and will be alive short-term, at least. His condition extremely critical. Had several surgeries” (Sport-Express)
Doc: “Sizov’s (flight attendant) condition better. 10-15% burns, hip trauma, broken bone at the base of the skull, shock.”
web • 9/7/11 2:38 PM
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Sep 7, 2011 2:52 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Chesnokov tweeted earlier that Galimov succumbed to his injuries.
I keep seeing conflicting reports about Galimov
But either way, the outlook is not good.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Slava Malamud
SlavaMalamud Slava Malamud
To reiterate: two people still alive. Hockey player Alexander Galimov, whose prognosis is very, very dire, and crew member Alexander Sizov.
4 minutes ago
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
This literally 4 minutes ago
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
Ah, I was reading Chesnokov.
Either way, it isn’t looking good for the young man.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
Some more details to make this shitstorm even worse
Galixon_97 Stanislav Galiev
by dchesnokov
Mother of died in a plane crash player HC “Lokomotiv” Sergey Ostapchuk died … She suffered a heart attack …..
1 hour ago
Seriously, that is a horrible way to go.
Official choice of Lighthouse Dog #1.
What a freaking nightmare this is
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Kid was only 21, according to the linked list.
Poor woman…
Jeff Carter to Columbus? Wait, I've seen this one before, it was called Shanahan to Hartford. Advice? Don't buy a Carter jersey.
by BrassBonanza10 on Sep 7, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I have nothing...
at all to add to what’s been posted. So fucking sad…I’m just speechless.
Terrible loss
This horrific event will touch so many lives. My condolences to all who have to endure this great loss of life.
RIP Crimm...
When he was with the Whale, I actually met Brad McCrimmon. Players entrance sort of thing, some friends of mine and I got to The Mall early and Crimm was about as gracious a guy as you could ever hope to ask to sign a puck or (in the case of one of my friends) t-shirt. He shook the hands of these four goofy high school kids while some players who will remain nameless *COUGH*SHANAHAN*COUGH* just half-waved at us and walked on by.
Brad McCrimmon was a fan’s player.
The world of hockey’s a darker place without guys like him in it.
Add to that the rest of those guys…Christ…only three of those players were older than me. The rest of them were in their twenties for the most part.
This is just…it’s terrible…McCrimmon sort of personalizes in a way for me; yeah, it was a handshake, a “Give ’em hell Crimm!” and an autograph, but it meant a hell of a lot to a 19 year old kid freezing his marbles off by the players entrance at The Mall on a cold night in January of ’96…
Jeff Carter to Columbus? Wait, I've seen this one before, it was called Shanahan to Hartford. Advice? Don't buy a Carter jersey.
by BrassBonanza10 on Sep 7, 2011 9:24 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
McCrimmon
A Facebook acquaintance of mine happened to know Brad McCrimmon from his time as an Atlanta Thrashers assistant coach. Both his son and McCrimmon’s son played on the same youth hockey team, and he had nothing but good things to say about McCrimmon from the times they’d watch their sons play at the rink.
I can totally believe that.
There’s a way a person looks you in the eye when they shake your hand and the way McCrimmon looked us all in the eye said an awful lot about the kind of guy he was. He was genuinely appreciative of the fans and I hope he felt like the fans here in Hartford genuinely appreciated the 100% he gave us, game in, game out and the appreciation I just could tell he had for all us fans.
Jeff Carter to Columbus? Wait, I've seen this one before, it was called Shanahan to Hartford. Advice? Don't buy a Carter jersey.
by BrassBonanza10 on Sep 7, 2011 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions
That's great
I always really respected McCrimmon as a player. Didn’t know much about him as a coach, but his play was quietly good. Lidstrom revered him. He was huge on those Flyers teams, key on the Flames.
I’m so sad right now. So many stories, so many people affected.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
If you can bring yourself to watch it, I recommend watching their intro video for the upcoming season.
It is now a tribute to them all. :(
link
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
Everybody was probably looking forward to that first game.
Such a sad event. I have no words.
by Kaonashi on Sep 8, 2011 3:26 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
so sad...
my condolences to the families and friends of those on board this flight. another sad day for hockey and another tragedy of the world. i hope the nhl honors their memory this season.
"son of a bitch i'm sick of these dolphins"
- Steve Zissou
So sad
Nothing else to add to that. Just such a horrible thing no matter what.
"If the bell needs to be answered, we've got the guys to answer it." "If they want to start something, that's fine."- Trevor Gillies
ANOTHER EXAMPLE
of how life is so short……..we see the boston bruins win for the first time in years, we love the glory as we know what its like to see our team at the top. Then weeks go by, we see young men dying by their own hands or by accident, then a larger tragedy comes along taking more lives. Very sad and tragic. My thoughts go out to their families and friends
by WRANGLERICK on Sep 8, 2011 3:42 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Heavens...
Jarring.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I wish I could say something to ease the pain of this horrible situation
but I just can’t. It gives us all pause and should remind us of the gift of life.
"I didn't come out of a cereal box." --Bob Dylan
by isles732 on Sep 9, 2011 12:30 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
