Former Bruin Brad McCrimmon Among Those Killed In Russian Jet Crash
TUNOSHNA, Russia (AP/CBS) -- WBZ NewsRadio 1030 has confirmed former Bruin and NHL coach Brad McCrimmon was among those killed when a Russian jet crashed while taking off Wednesday in western Russia.
At least 43 people were killed with two critically injured, officials said.
McCrimmon was drafted 15th overall in 1979 by the Boston Bruins. The defenseman played three seasons in Boston, followed by stops in Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix. He played 18 seasons in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989.
He was currently coaching Lokomotiv Yaroslav of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Bruins president Cam Neely released the following statement on the tradgedy:
On behalf of the Bruins organization I would like to express our deepest condolences to all the families and friends who lost loved ones today.
I would like to express our sorrow to the McCrimmon family who lost a husband and father. Brad will always be a part of the Bruins family and will live on in all of our memories.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42 plane crashed immediately after leaving an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Moscow. It was carrying 45 people, including 37 passengers and eight crew, and the ministry said all but two people were killed in the crash.
The weather was sunny and clear at the time.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin immediately sent the nation's transport minister to the site, 10 miles (15 kilometers) east of Yaroslavl.
The ministry said the plane was carrying the Lokomotiv ice hockey team from Yaroslavl to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season in the KHL.
The KHL is an international club league that pits together teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Slovakia.
Lokomotiv is a leading force in Russian hockey and came third in the KHL last year. It includes several international stars in its ranks, such as Stefan Liv of Sweden and Czech Republic players Josef Vaicek and Jan Marek.
Lokomotiv was a three-time Russian League champion in 1997, 2002 and 2003 and took the bronze last season.
It wasn't immediately clear which players were on board the Yak-42 on Wednesday.
"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.
The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in service since 1980 and dozens are still in service with Russian and other airlines.
President Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to take aging Soviet-built planes out of service starting next year.
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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