Ex-Hartford Whaler Brad McCrimmon Killed in Russian Plane Crash
Former Hartford Whaler Brad McCrimmon has been killed in crash of a plane carrying members of an elite Russian hockey team on Wednesday.
Russian officials say that at least 43 are dead, and two are critically injured.
The plane, a Yak-42 aircraft, crashed into a riverbank almost immediately after takeoff at Russia’s Yaroslavl airport, 150 miles northeast of Moscow.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
McCrimmon, 52, was the head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team, Lokomotiv. McCrimmon played for six National Hockey League
(NHL) teams throughout his lengthy professional career, and appeared in 1,222 NHL games.
Before May, McCrimmon served the Detroit Red Wings as assistant coach. Mike Babcock, head coach of the Red Wings, said “Obviously, it’s a tough day around here, our thoughts and our prayers go out to the family.”
McCrimmon worked the Wings for three seasons, mainly with the defensemen, according to the Oakland Daily Tribune.
Continuing in a statement, Babcock said, “We know his kids well. He’s a good man and a real big part of our organization here.”
The team Lokomotiv was one of Russia’s leading hockey teams and included players from Germany, Slovakia, and Sweden, according to the Hartford Courant.
Twenty-nine bodies have been recovered the site of the crash so far, according to CNN.
Officials said that Russian player Alexander Galimov survived the crash, along with one member of the crew. No reports have indicated if former Wings players Ruslan Salei and Stefan Liv were on the plane with their Lokomotiv teammates.
The plane was carrying the team from Yaroslavl to Minsk, where they were to play their first game of the season. Players and spectators at a national championship in Ufa observed a moment of silence upon hearing about the crash.
The summer season of hockey has seen the deaths of Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak, and now the entire KHL team.
