Crash hits home for hockey fans everywhere
Jonathan Toews put it best Wednesday when informed by a reporter from the Hockey News of the plane crash in Russia that killed 43 people, including 36 members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team from the KHL.
“This is the worst summer ever for hockey,” the Blackhawks captain said.
Amen to that.
The horrific plane crash was the latest blow to a hockey world already struggling to come to grips with the sudden summer deaths of NHL enforcers Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien from various reasons.
Among those killed in the Russian crash were former Blackhawks defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev and forward Igor Korolev, who were coaches with the Lokomotiv team that was on its way to Minsk in Belarus to open the KHL season Thursday.
“We stand together with the entire KHL, NHL and hockey world in mourning today's tragic news concerning the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team,” the Blackhawks said in a statement.
“The tragedy affects the Chicago Blackhawks family directly as we mourn the losses of Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev, two players who spent time with our organization and that our fans know well. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl organization.”
Also among those killed were former NHL players Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei and Karlis Skraskins, as well as Lokomotiv head coach Brad McCrimmon, who won a Stanley Cup as a player with the Calgary Flames and last season was an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.
The international hockey world is a tight-knit fraternity in which everyone knows everyone, which made Wednesday's crash such a devastating event.
Hawks winger Marian Hossa grew up with Demitra in Slovakia and the two were best friends.
“Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Neither Karpovtsev nor Korolev were longtime Hawks. Karpovtsev was here for 3½ seasons starting in 2001, and Korolev played the entire 2001-02 season in Chicago and parts of the next two.
Karpovtsev had some disappointing seasons with the Hawks, mostly because of injuries, but when he was healthy he was a solid top-four defenseman and one of the best shot blockers in the game.
I remember once talking to Karpovtsev after he blocked a shot off his chest by Al MacInnis of the Blues. MacInnis shot the puck harder than anyone in hockey, over 100 mph, but Karpovtsev was smiling as if it was something anyone would do.
Korolev was intelligent and a real good guy. While many of the Russian players at that time went out of their way to avoid speaking to the media, Korolev was always available, spoke the language well, and had good insights. He also was an underrated player, having appeared in 795 NHL games with 119 goals and 346 points.
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