A Russian jet carrying a top Kontinental Hockey League team crashed during takeoff Wednesday, killing 43 people and leaving two critically injured.
The Yak-42 jet was carrying the Lokomotiv hockey team, a top-ranked Russian team that was set to play in the opening game of the KHL season in Minsk, Belarus.
The KHL is an international club league that pits together teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Slovakia.
The jet was carrying 45 people, including 37 passengers and eight crew members.
Some of the players aboard the ill-fated flight were international hockey stars who had previously played in the National Hockey League.
Among the confirmed dead:
Brad McCrimmon – coach
McCrimmon, 52, is a native of Saskatchewan. He played defence for six NHL teams, including Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix from 1979-80 to 1996-97. He played 1,222 regular season games in the NHL, collecting 81 goals, 322 assists and 1,416 penalty minutes. McCrimmon served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and the Detroit Red Wings.
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Pavol Demitra
A former centre for the Vancouver Canucks, Demitra joined the NHL in 1993, playing 16 seasons before signing with the KHL in 2010. A native of Slovakia, Demitra, 36, played with the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and the Vancouver Canucks. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship in 2000.
Josef Vasicek
The Czech-born centre joined the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, playing with the Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and the New York Islanders before signing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in 2008. He won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006.
Karel Rachunek
The Czech-born defenceman played eight seasons in the NHL, beginning his North American career with the Ottawa Senators in 1997. Rachunek, 32, also spent time with the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils between stints in the KHL, which he returned to in 2008.
Karlis Skrastins
The 37-year-old Latvian defenceman played 12 seasons in the NHL before joining the KHL in 2011. Skrastins played with the Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Dallas Stars. He earned the nickname ‘Ironman’ for surpassing Tim Horton for the longest consecutive NHL games played by a defenceman, which he achieved in 2007 after 487 consecutive games. The streak ended just eight games later following a knee injury.
The following former NHL players are believed to have been on board the plane but their condition is not known:
Ruslan Salei
Salei, a Belarusian hockey player who joined the NHL in 1996, spent seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He joined the KHL in 2011.
Alexander Vasyunov
The 23-year-old Russian left-wing played for the New Jersey Devils for the 2010-2011 season before signing with the KHL in June on a one-year contract.
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With files from The Associated Press
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