Russian jet carrying the KHL ice hockey team Lokomotiv slammed into a riverbank moments after takeoff Wednesday, killing at least 43 people and leaving two others critically injured, officials said. Shock, Sadness Over KHL Crash The crash of a plane carrying members of KHL club Lokomotiv is being mourned throughout the NHL. ESPN.com's Cross Checks blog is taking in reaction to the tragedy from across the league. Blog • Burnside: Agent remembers Demitra Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins, Slovakian national team captain and ex-NHL player Pavol Demitra and the team's coach, former Detroit Red Wings assistant and NHL player Brad McCrimmon, were among those confirmed to have died. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42 plane crashed in sunny weather immediately after leaving an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River about 150 miles northeast of Moscow. It said the plane was carrying Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season of the Continental Hockey League. The plane was carrying 45 people, including 37 passengers and eight crew, and two people survived the crash. The crash and resulting deaths of current and former players sent shock waves through the NHL. "Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished." Demitra, who played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks, was on the plane, his agent, Matt Keator, told ESPN.com. "It's just stunning and just awful," Keator said. Keator had visited with Demitra in Russia three weeks ago. He first met Demitra when the two were with the Blues organization -- Keator as a scout and Demitra as a successful player. "You couldn't find a more popular teammate," Keator said. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Misha Japaridze Players from Lokomotiv of the KHL were aboard a plane that crashed on the banks of the Volga River, killing at least 43. The Stars confirmed on the team website that Skrastins was among those killed. "The Dallas Stars family is shocked and saddened by the passing of Karlis Skrastins and so many other young lives in a plane crash in Russia today," Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. "Karlis was a wonderful father and husband, as well as a good friend. He will be greatly missed." Former New Jersey Devils forward Alexander Vasyunov was also among those killed, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello told ESPNNewYork.com. Vasyunov was 23. "I don't think anybody can prepare for something like this," Lamoriello said. "It's just devastating news. Words can't express my personal feelings." "I can't say enough about him as a young man," Lamoriello said. "He certainly had talent. His whole career was in front of him." A Czech embassy official said Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2000, were among those killed. Rachunek was also a former NHL player, having skated for the Devils, Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers. It wasn't immediately clear which other players were on board the Yak-42. Officials said player Alexander Galimov survived the crash along with a crew member. "We are only beginning to understand the impact of this tragedy affecting the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club and the international hockey community," the KHL said in a statement. "First and foremost, our condolences go out to the families and friends of the players, coaches and staff lost in today's tragedy. "We know that there are many in the KHL family who will be grieving with us. As the investigation of this tragedy progresses we will work closely with investigators, government officials, club executives and the Yaroslavl community. We are working to find an appropriate way to honor this club and begin the healing process from the deep loss so many of us feel today. Aircraft Crashes Involving Sports Teams Wednesday's crash of a Russian jet carrying members of KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will join the list of other tragic air accidents involving sports teams. Other notable aircraft tragedies in the sports world include: Feb. 7, '58 -- Manchester United • 8 members of Manchester United were among 23 deaths from the crash of a plane taking off in Munich. Oct. 29, '60 -- Cal Poly Football • 16 football players, a team manager and a booster were killed when plane crashed on takeoff (22 others were injured). Feb. 15, '61 -- U.S. Figure Skating • 8 members of U.S. Figure Skating Team were among 72 deaths resulting from a crash of a flight to Brussels. Oct. 2, '70 -- Wichita St. Football • 14 Wichita State football players and coach Ben Wilson were among 31 who died. Nov. 14, '70 -- Marshall Football • Plane crash killed all 75 people aboard, including 37 members of Marshall football team. Oct. 13, '72 -- Rugby Team in Uruguay • Only 16 of 45 aboard ultimately survived a crash in the Andes. Dec. 13, '77 -- Evansville Basketball All 29 aboard plane died, including 14 players on the Evansville men's basketball team. Jan. 27, '01 -- Oklahoma St. Basketball • 10 people associated with Oklahoma State basketball died, including two players. -- ESPN Stats & Information "We are aware that many of you have questions. This tragedy remains our primary focus. We ask for patience as we find an appropriate way to proceed with the 2011/2012 season." International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash "a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community," pointing out that the team's roster included players and coaches from ten countries. "Despite the substantial air travel of professional hockey teams, our sport has been spared from tragic traffic accidents," Fasel said. "But only until now. This is the darkest day in the history of our sport." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin immediately sent the nation's transport minister to the site, 10 miles east of Yaroslavl. The plane that crashed was relatively new, built in 1993, and belonged to a small Yak Service company. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl is a leading force in Russian hockey and finished third in the KHL last year. McCrimmon, who took over in coaching Lokomotiv in May, was most recently an assistant coach with the Red Wings. He played 18 years in the NHL for Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he has known McCrimmon since the 1980s, during his playing career. "It's shocking. I think everybody in the hockey community is probably in shock and numb, myself included," Holland told ESPN.com. "He loved hockey. He was a tremendous guy and wonderful family man. Our thoughts and prayers go to his wife Maureen and two children.'' The Russian team also featured several top European players and former NHL stars, including Vasicek and Rachunek of the Czech Republic, Skrastins and defenseman Ruslan Salei of Russia and Swedish goalie Stefan Liv. The KHL is an international club league that features teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Slovakia. Lokomotiv was a three-time Russian League champion in 1997, 2002 and 2003. It took bronze last season. Swarms of police and rescue crews rushed to Tunoshna, a picturesque village with a blue-domed church on the banks of the Volga River. One of the plane's engines could be seen poking out of the river and a flotilla of boats combed the water for bodies. Russian rescue workers struggled to heft the bodies of large, strong athletes in stretchers up the muddy, steep riverbank. One resident, Irina Pryakhova, saw the plane going down. "It was wobbling in flight, it was clear that something was wrong," she said. "It went down behind the trees and there was a bang and a plume of smoke." She said rescuers pulled victims' bodies out of the Volga River. "I saw them pulling bodies to the shore, some still in their seats with seatbelts on," Pryakhova said. A cup match between hockey teams Salavat Yulaev and Atlant in the central Russian city of Ufa was called off midway after news of the crash was announced by Conintental Hockey League head Alexander Medvedev. Russian television broadcast images of an empty arena in Ufa as grief-stricken fans abandoned the stadium. "We will do our best to ensure that hockey in Yaroslavl does not die, and that it continues to live for the people that were on that plane," said Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretyak. In recent years, Russia and the other former Soviet republics have had some of the world's worst air traffic safety records. Experts blame the poor safety record on the age of the aircraft, weak government controls, poor pilot training and a cost-cutting mentality. President Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to take aging Soviet-built planes out of service starting next year. The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in service since 1980 and about 100 are still in service with Russian carriers. In June, another Russian passenger jet crashed in the northwestern city of Petrozavodsk, killing 47 people. The crash of that Tu-134 plane has been blamed on pilot error.
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