It’s another sad day for the KHL, the professional Russian hockey league. According to reports from Moscow, a Russian jet carrying the Lokomotiv ice hockey team took off on a runway and crashed; killing most of the 45 people on board.

The plane was said to be headed to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where the Lokomotiv team was scheduled to play its opening game Thursday against Dinamo Minsk.

Of the 45 passengers, it was reported that 43 were confirmed dead with two others were left critically injured.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the plane was a Yak-42, pictured here, and crashed soon after leaving the runway and that the weather conditions were not a factor; it was clear and sunny at takeoff. The ministry also confirmed that the plane was carrying the team.

The KHL is an international club league in Russia that features teams from several countries including Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Slovakia and Kazakhstan. The Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team finished third in the league last season and was coached by a former NHL player, Brad McCrimmon.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretyak who is considered one of the greatest goalies to ever play the game, made this statement:

“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.”

This isn’t the first heartbreaking story to come out of the KHL. Last season, a young teenaged prospect for the New York Rangers died in the middle of a game and after questionable efforts from the Russian medical staff to revive him, he died and was later laid to rest.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. 

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