- Title: USA: HOCKEY: NHL players react to Russian plane crash.
- Date: 9th September 2011
- Summary: NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 8, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PRUDENTIAL CENTER WHERE NEW JERSEY DEVILS PLAY VIDEO OF VARIOUS NHL PLAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NHL PLAYER, OTTAWA SENATORS, JASON SPEZZA, SAYING: "It's extremely unfortunate and I played with a couple of guys who were there and I really feel for the families they leave behind and I think it's a pretty serious subject and I just hope they take care of the guys still playing over there. It's a pretty scary thing, especially when you're traveling a lot." (SOUNDBITE) (English) NHL PLAYER, VANCOUVER CANUCKS, RYAN KESLER, SAYING: "I played against most of them and know talking to guys and knowing they have wife and kids, it's just a big loss for hockey and a big loss overall." INTERIOR VIEW OF PLAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NHL PLAYER, DETROIT RED WINGS, PAVEL DATSYUK, SAYING: "It's a bad tragedy, what's happened, and I think everybody is being upset now and especially hockey players too. Everyday we fly and we never know when these things happen." INTERIOR VIEW OF PRUDENTIAL CENTER
- Embargoed: 24th September 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Accidents,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAC1GC580TZ6GMKYR5M6ZRQAKAZ
- Story Text: Top players from the National Hockey League (NHL) attending a media tour in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday (September 8) expressed their condolences to the families of their colleagues who died in Wednesday's (September 7) plane crash outside Moscow.
Players from U.S. and Canadian teams visiting the Prudential Center in Newark said the mood within the NHL was somber as at least 20 teams had lost players or coaches, past and present, according to the website of the NHL.
"It's a bad tragedy, what's happened, and I think everybody is being upset now and especially hockey players too," said Detroit Red Wings Center Pavel Datsyuk, aged 33.
"Everyday we fly and we never know when these things happen."
A native of Russia, Datsyuk said he had lost many friends in the crash, including fellow Red Wings player Ruslan Salei.
Vancouver Canucks Center Ryan Kesler, aged 27, said his heart went out to the players' families.
"I played against most of them and know talking to guys and knowing they have wife and kids, it's just a big loss for hockey and a big loss overall," said Kesler.
Other players voiced concern for the remaining players of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the Russian team which lost almost its entire squad in the crash.
"It's extremely unfortunate and I played with a couple of guys who were there and I really feel for the families they leave behind and I think it's a pretty serious subject and I just hope they take care of the guys still playing over there. It's a pretty scary thing, especially when you're traveling a lot," said Ottawa Senators Center Jason Spezza, aged 28.
The Yak-42 aircraft crashed into a river bank shortly after takeoff from the airport outside Yaroslavl, 150 miles (250 km) north of Moscow.
The 43 dead included the team's Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon, Slovakia captain Pavol Demitra and three former world champions from the Czech Republic Former Soviet Union captain and NHL star Vyacheslav Fetisov said today that all teams in the Eurasia-wide Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) could send one player each to form a new Lokomotiv Yaroslavl squad to rebuild the stricken Lokomotiv squad. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None