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"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Game 68 Rangers 5, Isles 2 Johnny Brodzinski broke a 2-2 tie with 4:59 left in the middle period and ...

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Ex-Isles Vasicek, ex Isles Asst McCrimmon Feared Dead in Russian Plane Crash

The story is still evolving but several sources are now reporting that at least two people with Islander ties, Josef Vasicek and  Brad McCrimmon are feared dead in a plane crash in Russia involving the KHL team Lokomotiv. 

Vasicek played in all but one game of the 2007-08 season for the Isles, scoring 16 goals and adding 19 assists. McCrimmon, an Islander assistant coach in the 1990's, was named head coach of the team just a few months ago after a 30+ year NHL career as both a player and assistant coach.

The team has confirmed that the entire 37-man traveling group was on the plane, which was headed to its season opening game.  Only 2 survivors are known at this time.  However the dead have not yet been confirmed.

<<In his address to the Ufa crowd (at the KHL season opening game) , the KHL President Aleksandr Medvedev stated that all players and staff of the Yaroslavl team except one survivor, whose name is not unknown as yet, died in a plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia.>> (http://rt.com/sport/hockey/khl-season-hockey-team-013/)

Perhaps the best known player to a North American audience on the team's roster is Pavol Demitra, who scored over 300 goals in the NHL and won the Lady Byng Award in 1999-2000.

The team roster is listed here: http://en.khl.ru/clubs/lokomotiv



Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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