A summer that has already seen three young men succumb to their own demons just got worse when news broke that the KHL team Yaroslavl Lokomotiv was aboard a Yakolev-42 aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff at noon on a clear, sunny day. There were 37 passengers and 8 crew aboard the plane headed for their season opener in Minsk. Reports list 2 survivors, including 26-year old forward Alexander Galimov, and both are in critical condition.
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Yaroslavl Lokomotiv Roster
The roster includes some well known names of former NHLers. We are all fortunate that it doesn't include one more, Semyon Varlamov, who almost returned to play in Russia this summer. The season opening game between Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Atlant Mystichi was suspended once the news broke and the game is not expected to be completed.
The NHL veterans on the roster are below:
| Pavol Demitra |
 |
Pos: RW |
Age: 36 |
Born: 11/29/74, Dubnica, Slovakia |
| Drafted: 9th Rd, 1993 (OTT) |
16 NHL Seasons with 5 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 847 |
304 |
464 |
768 |
| 2000 Lady Byng Trophy |
3-Time NHL All-Star |
3-Time Olympian (SVK)
|
| Karlis Skrastins |
 |
Pos: D |
Age: 37 |
Born: 7/9/74, Riga, Latvia
|
| Drafted: 9th Rd, 1998 (NSH) |
12 NHL Seasons with 4 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 832 |
32 |
104 |
136 |
495-Games Played Streak
|
3-Time Olympian (LAT)
|
| Ruslan Salei |
 |
Pos: D |
Age: 36 |
Born: 11/2/74, Minsk, Belarus
|
| Drafted: 1st Rd, 1996 (ANA) |
15 NHL Seasons with 4 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 917 |
45 |
159 |
204 |
2003 Stanley Cup Finals
|
9th Overall Draft Pick
|
3-Time Olympian (BLR)
|
| Karel Rachunek |
 |
Pos: D |
Age: 32 |
Born: 8/27/79, Zlinwaldow, Czech Rep.
|
| Drafted: 9th Rd, 1997 (OTT) |
7 NHL Seasons with 3 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 371 |
22 |
118 |
140 |
3-Time KHL All-Star
|
Won 2010 World Championship (CZE)
|
| Josef Vasicek |
 |
Pos: C |
Age: 30
|
Born: 9/12/80, Havlickuv Brod, Czech Rep.
|
| Drafted: 4th Rd, 1998 (CAR) |
7 NHL Seasons with 3 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 460 |
77 |
106 |
183 |
Won 2006 Stanley Cup
|
2010 Olympian (CZE)
|
Won 2005 World Championship (CZE)
|
| Alexander Vasyunov |
 |
Pos: LW |
Age: 23
|
Born: 4/22/88, Yaroslavl, Russia
|
| Drafted: 2nd Rd, 2006 (NJ) |
1 NHL Season with New Jersey
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 18 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
Won 2007 World Junior Championship Silver Medal
|
The 2007-08 Swedish Elite League MVP, Stefan Liv, was also on the roster. Most of the other players on the roster were in their 20s, not to mention the 4 players from the youth team that were aboard the plane.
The coaches were all former NHLers.
| Brad McCrimmon, Head Coach |
 |
Pos: D
|
Age: 52 |
Born: 11/29/59, Dodsland, Saskatchewan |
| Drafted: 1st Rd, 1979 (BOS) |
18 NHL Seasons with 6 Teams |
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 1,222 |
81 |
322 |
403 |
Won 1989 Stanley Cup
|
1988 NHL All-Star, NHL 2nd Team, +/- Leader |
| Igor Korolev, Assistant Coach |
 |
Pos: C |
Age: 41 |
Born: 9/6/70, Moscow, Russia |
| Drafted: 2nd Rd, 1992 (STL) |
12 NHL Seasons with 5 Teams |
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 795 |
119 |
227 |
346 |
| 2-Time 20-Goal scorer |
| Alexander Karpovtsev, Assistant Coach |
 |
Pos: D |
Age: 41 |
Born: 4/7/70, Moscow, Russia
|
| Drafted: 8th Rd, 1990 (QUE) |
12 NHL Seasons with 5 Teams
|
| Games |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 596 |
34 |
154 |
188 |
Won 1994 Stanley Cup
|
From all of us at Rock the Red, our prayers and hopes go out to the players' families and friends. We also hope for a speedy recovery for the two survivors.
