Global tragedy

Fans of Russia's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl top-division ice hockey team gathered at the team's home ice rink in Yaroslavl and left candles and flowers in memory of the players and team officials who died in a plane crash Wednesday. The man were on its way to its first game of the season against a team from Minsk.

Support poured in from around the world. Eleven of the victims were foreign nationals from countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Sweden.

Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin, who plays for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL), told the Washington Post that the crash was a "national tragedy" and posted messages of sadness on his Russian Twitter account.

"Very hard to lose close people and friends! Let them rest in peace! You will remain forever in our memory!" Ovechkin wrote.

Ties to NHL

Several other players and coaches from the NHL also expressed their sadness at the news, as many of those killed had connections to the US league. Lokomotiv's coach, Canadian Brad McCrimmon, was a former assistant with the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. Assistant coach Alexander Karpovtsev was a former Stanley Cup winner with the New York Rangers.

Speaking to Newsday, current New York Ranger and former Lokomotiv player Artem Anisimov said, "I knew half the team. I didn't believe it at first … then I felt sick."

The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, issued a statement saying, "This is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community with so many nationalities involved."

"Despite the substantial air travel of professional hockey teams, our sport has been spared from tragic traffic accidents," Fasel added. "But only until now. This is the darkest day in the history of our sport. This is not only a Russian tragedy."

Three Czech players were among the victims, and Tomas Kral, the president of the Czech ice hockey association, lauded the players' success and character on and off the ice.

"Jan Marek, Karel Rachunek, and Josef Vasicek contributed greatly to the best successes of our ice hockey [program] in recent years, first of all to the golden medals at the world championships in 2005 and 2010," said Kral. "They were excellent players, but also great friends and personalities. That's how we will remember them."

German national ice hockey player Robert Dietrich was also killed in the crash. His former clubs, which include DEG Metro Stars and Adler Mannheim in the German Ice Hockey League and the Milwaukee Admirals in the NHL, issued statements expressing their sadness.

"We extend our sympathies to his family and friends, as well as those close to the other, unfortunately many, victims," the Metro Stars' Internet statement said.

Survivors in critical condition

Two people survived the crash, but both are listed in critical condition. One of the men, Lokomotiv player Alexander Galimov, received serious burns on 90 percent of his body.

Crew member Alexander Sizov also survived the crash with burns to 15 percent of his body. All told, 43 people lost their lives in the crash. Thirty-six were associated with the team, while the rest were crew members.

The crash occurred as Russia hosts an international political forum in Yaroslavl, which President Dmitry Medvedev was expected to address on Thursday.

Instead, Medvedev visited the crash site. He has demanded an investigation into the crash, the latest in a country with a spotty aviation record.

"I've given an order to the Investigative Committee and the government to conduct a thorough investigation," Medvedev told officials. "The situation remains unfortunate, and a string of air crashes which happened this summer shows that. We cannot go on like that."

Author: Matt Zuvela (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Editor: Nancy Isenson