The 2011–12 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl season was the franchise's 52nd season of play in professional ice hockey in Russia. It was supposed to be its fourth season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The season was scheduled to start on 8 September 2011. However, on 7 September, while traveling to their season opener, the team's plane crashed, killing 44 people, including 25 roster players, and 11 members of the team staff. Alexander Galimov survived the initial impact of the crash with severe injuries, but died on 12 September. Another roster player, Maxim Zyuzyakin, did not travel with the team on the plane. As a consequence, the league cancelled the 7 September Opening Cup game between Salavat Yulaev and Atlant already in progress, postponing the opening of the KHL season until 12 September.
Following the tragedy, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl chose to cancel their participation in the 2011–12 KHL season.[1] Instead, the club participated in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League (VHL), the second top ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL, starting in December 2011, and was eligible for the VHL playoffs. Also, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's squad for the 2012–13 KHL season would automatically be qualified for the KHL playoffs that season, and the club could request allowance to use more than six non-Russian players in the KHL squad.[2][3]
Off-season
editLokomotiv lost in the 2011 KHL Western Conference finals 4–2 to Atlant. Following this playoff disappointment, eleven players (most notably former NHLers Daniel Tjärnqvist and Alexander Korolyuk) left the team, and nine players were added to the roster for the upcoming 2011–12 KHL season. The players set to make their debut with the team notably included former NHLers Ruslan Salei and Kārlis Skrastiņš. Also set to make their coaching debuts were former NHLers Brad McCrimmon and Igor Korolev.
Pre-season
editThe team played nine pre-season games, finishing with a 7–2 record, and won their second straight Latvian Railways Cup ( 23–27 August), a pre-season KHL tournament. On 3 September, the players played their final game, at home against Torpedo, winning 5–2. Alexander Galimov, the final victim of the crash, scored the last goal of that game, sealing the win for Lokomotiv with an empty net goal.
| 2011 pre-season game log: 7–2–0 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT/SO | Decision | Reference | |||
| 1 | 10 August (in Visp, Switzerland) | Lokomotiv | 7 – 2 | EHC Visp | Liv | [4] | ||||
| 2 | 12 August (in Leukerbad, Switzerland) | Lokomotiv | 3 – 4 | SC Bern | Liv | [5] | ||||
| 3 | 13 August (in Leukerbad, Switzerland) | Lokomotiv | 5 – 1 | HC Ambrì-Piotta | Vyukhin | [6] | ||||
| 4 | 23 August (in Riga, Latvia) | Lokomotiv | 2 – 3 | Neftekhimik | SO | Vyukhin | [7] | |||
| 5 | 24 August (in Riga, Latvia) | Lokomotiv | 1 – 0 | Atlant | Liv | [8] | ||||
| 6 | 26 August (in Riga, Latvia) | Lokomotiv | 3 – 0 | Dinamo Minsk | Liv | [9] | ||||
| 7 | 27 August (in Riga, Latvia) | Lokomotiv | 3 – 0 | Neftekhimik | Liv | [10] | ||||
| 8 | 1 September | Severstal | 3 – 5 | Lokomotiv | Vyukhin | [11] | ||||
| 9 | 3 September | Torpedo | 2 – 5 | Lokomotiv | Liv | [12] | ||||
Crash
editAll players and most of the team staff were killed on 7 September 2011 when the Yak-Service Yak-42 that was chartered by the team crashed on takeoff from Tunoshna Airport in Yaroslavl, into the Volga River. Alexander Galimov survived the crash, but died five days later of his injuries.[13] Goalie coach Jorma Valtonen and forward Maxim Zyuzyakin were not on the flight.
Rebuilding the team
editIt was announced by KHL president Alexander Medvedev that a disaster draft would be conducted to assemble a new team for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Every other team in the league would select up to three players for the pool of 40–45 players for Lokomotiv to select in the disaster draft, which selected up to 14 players, as five players were promoted from Lokomotiv's youth team, and forward Maxim Zyuzyakin, who did not travel with the team, formed the core of the roster before the start of the disaster draft.[14] The drafted players will continue to receive salaries from their respective teams.[15] Lokomotiv's former coach Petr Vorobiev was hired as the new head coach. On 10 September, at the team's public memorial service, team president Yuri Yakovlev announced that Lokomotiv would not participate in the 2011–12 KHL season.[citation needed]
Instead, the club participated in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League (VHL), the second top ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL. In October 2011, the team announced that its first game in the VHL would take place on 12 December 2011 at home ice. Players between 17 and 22 years old under contract to KHL and VHL teams were made available for Lokomotiv to build a roster.[citation needed]
Schedule and results
editRegular season
edit| 2011–12 game log: 13–6–3 (home: 9–1–2; road: 4–5–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December: 3–2–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 1–1–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 4–3–1 (home: 3–0–1; road: 1–3–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 6–3–0 (home: 4–0–0; road: 2–3–0)
|
Playoffs
edit| 2012 VHL playoffs: 5–5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterfinals: 3–2
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Semifinals: 2–3
|
Team at the time of crash
editRemembered 7 September 2011.[16]
Staff
edit| Person | Age | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad McCrimmon[17] | 52 | 
|
Head coach |
| Alexander Karpovtsev[18] | 41 | 
|
Assistant coach |
| Igor Korolev[18] | 41 | /
|
Assistant coach |
| Jorma Valtonen* | 64 | 
|
Goalie coach |
| Yuri Bakhvalov | - | - | physician/massage therapist[19] |
| Aleksandr Belyayev | - | - | Equipment manager/massage therapist |
| Nikolai Krivonosov | 31 | 
|
Fitness coach |
| Yevgeni Kunnov | - | - | Massage therapist |
| Vyacheslav Kuznetsov | - | - | Massage therapist |
| Vladimir Piskunov | 52 |
|
Administrator |
| Yevgeni Sidorov | - | - | Coach-analyst |
| Andrei Zimin | - | - | Team doctor |
- Zyuzyakin and Valtonen were the only club members not aboard the plane.
References
edit- ^ https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/lokomotiv-will-not-play-2011-12-khl-season
- ^ На совещании в Кремле решили: "Локомотив" с декабря начнёт играть в ВХЛ. Sovetsky Sport (in Russian). 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "KHL's new Lokomotiv won't play this season". Red Light. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "ПОБЕДА ИМЕНИ ВРАТАРЯ". Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Хоккейный Клуб "Локомотив" (Ярославль)". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ СПИСОК экипажа и пассажиров, находившихся на борту воздушного судна Як-42 (Press release) (in Russian). Ministry of Emergency Situations. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ Leonard, Peter (8 September 2011). "KHL delays games, but season will go on for Lokomotiv". nationalpost.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ KHL's bold plans to keep Lokomotiv running after tragedy - Puck Daddy - NHL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ "Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Disaster Victims" (in Russian). hclokomotiv.ru. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ St. James, Helene (7 September 2011). "Ex-Red Wings assistant Brad McCrimmon killed in Russian crash". Detroit Free-Press. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Former Leafs Karpovtsev, Korolev Killed In Russian Plane Crash". NHL. 7 September 2011.
- ^ ftp://213.150.87.138/Arhiv/2010/N43/PDF/slj_2710_28.pdf[permanent dead link]