A true sports and human tragedy happened today in Russia when a plane carrying the KHL team Lokomotiv crashed, killing nearly all on board. Among the dead were former Flyers defenseman Brad McCrimmon, who was the coach of Lokomotiv. He played for the Flyers from 1982 to 1987 and still ranks 9th all time on the Flyers points list for defenseman.
↵Ed Snider released the following statement.
↵“I’m personally saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our former players, Brad McCrimmon, and his team. Brad was one of the toughest defensemen to ever wear the orange and black. He gained the nickname ‘the beast’ for his tenacity on the blue line and his ability to shut down our opponents. Off the ice, Brad was a true gentleman. He was a kind, caring and wonderful human being. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, as well as the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.â€
↵Ilya Bryzgalov, the Flyers new Russian-born goalie, also expressed his sadness through the teams’ website and says he knew many of the players who died today.
↵“It’s a tragedy. I know a lot of guys on that team and it’s a big loss. It doesn’t matter which country it happens in. We’re all people and we understand what kind of tragedy this is… It’s different when old people die, but when young people die in sudden death it’s tough to accept. They were young people full of life with opportunities in front of them and most of them have young kids.â€