On this Day: 43 die in tragic Yaroslavl plane crash

September 7th, 2011: Yak-Service Flight 9633 carrying the players and coaching staff of KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crashes, killing 44 of its 45 passengers.

It was one of the most tragic events in the history of hockey and perhaps the darkest day ever for the sport. Among the victims were several NHL veterans including Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karl’s Skrastins, Karel Rachunek,  Josef Vasicek, Alexander Vasyunov, Alex Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev and Brad McCrimmon.

The team was on its way from Yaroslavl, Russia to Minsk, Belarus to begin the 2011-12 season when a pilot error and technical failures resulted in the plane crashing on takeoff. With the franchise broken and without a roster, they elected to cancel participation in the KHL season, returning the following season.

The outpouring of emotions and grief during the aftermath of the event extended beyond Russia’s borders to the entire hockey world. Rene Fasel, the president of the IIHF called it “the darkest day in the history of our sport.” The NHL held a ceremony prior to an early season game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in memorial to the victims of the crash. Several NHLers expressed their extreme grief after having lost friends and former teammates.