The KHL coordinated a league-wide tribute on Monday to honor the victims of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.
On Sept. 7, 2011, a Yak-42 carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to its KHL season opener against Dinamo Minsk crashed shortly after takeoff from Tunoshna Airport outside Yaroslavl. Forty-four of the 45 people on board tragically died, including 26 Lokomotiv players and 11 members of the team’s coaching and support staff. The lone survivor was flight engineer Alexander Sizov.
Monday, the current Lokomotiv team paid tribute to those lost by laying flowers at the memorial at Leontievsky Cemetery in Yaroslavl. They were joined at the event by members of the Shanghai Dragons, including former Capitals forward Ilya Kovalchuk.
Lokomotiv honored its “Heavenly Team” on its Instagram page (as translated by Google Translate):
15 years…
It is incredible, unfathomable, and still beyond comprehension… How could this have happened?! Our Team departed for eternity just as they were soaring to new heights. Thirty-seven magnificent athletes, wonderful sons, devoted husbands, loving fathers…
Time is relentless. It seems to sweep away everything in its path with its rapid pace. Yet, Memory endures forever. It is our shared memory of that Lokomotiv team—a team for whose sake, and in whose honor, guys still take to the ice today bearing the Club’s logo on their chests and a mourning ribbon over their hearts. Our thoughts and deeds, our victories and sorrows, remain inextricably linked to those men who never took flight from Tunoshna Airport on September 7, 2011.
We love, we remember, we mourn…
Across the league, all 16 KHL teams that played on Monday, including coaches, wore black ribbons that had the date of the tragedy 07.09.2011 written in white.
All eight games began with a moment of silence. Forty-four Lokomotiv scarves were laid together in one section at all eight arenas.
Lokomotiv tributes across the KHL
Dinamo Minsk vs Torpedo
The most significant tribute across the league happened at Minsk Arena ahead of puck drop between Dinamo and Torpedo. Flowers were laid at a memorial constructed by the central entrance of the Minsk Arena. The ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Belarusian Hockey Federation, Dinamo Minsk, players, coaches, and club staff. Via Incidentia.ru, the memorial remained open through the game, after which the flowers were taken to the grave sites of Ruslan Salei (former NHL player), Sergei Ostapchuk, and Nikolai Krivonosov, the three Belarusians who died in the crash.
Avangard vs Salavat Yulaev
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. Avangard left 44 seats empty in Section 114 at G-Drive Arena, filling the seats with Lokomotiv memorabilia/scarves.
Avtomobilist vs Traktor
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. Avtomobilist erected a memorial outside the arena, where fans brought flowers.
Traktor also published its own remembrance piece, “15 лет без «Локомотива»” (“15 years without Lokomotiv”).
Barys vs Sibir
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. Barys, as host, had a flower memorial and 44-scarf section.
Severstal vs Lada
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. Severstal had a memorial and 44 Lokomotiv scarves.
CSKA – Spartak
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. CSKA hosted the flower memorial and 44-scarf section. CSKA also published a remembrance specifically mentioning former CSKA players Pavel Trakhanov, Mikhail Balandin, and Jan Marek, who died with Lokomotiv.
SKA vs Dynamo Moscow
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. SKA hosted the memorial and 44-scarf section. Dynamo posted a photo on its Instagram page featuring the ribbon on its jersey and a tribute to Lokomotiv.
Ak Bars vs Admiral
Both teams wore black ribbons and observed a moment of silence before puck drop. Ak Bars hosted the flower memorial and 44 Lokomotiv scarves. “In eternal memory 🕊️,” wrote Admiral on Instagram. “15 years ago, a terrible tragedy shook the world of sports, leaving a wound that will never heal. We remember 🥀”
The games played on Monday marked the ninth consecutive year the KHL has held matchups on the anniversary. For the first six anniversaries after the tragedy, the KHL scheduled no games, leaving September 7 as a day of remembrance. The league resumed playing on that date in 2018, turning games across the KHL into commemorative events.
