A Profound Sadness

As I was trying to think of a topic for today's blog, for a while the leading contender was one of those ones I do once or twice a month where I just list some bullet points with topics of the day and throw in my two cents on the subject.  Then stuff like the start of the football season, Peyton's injury, rain at the US Open and Oscar Pistorius continuing to be annoying simply didn't seem that important.  Not when I was overcome by sadness.  With the 10th anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history approaching this weekend, the sports world has been rocked by an equally unthinkable tragedy.  Early yesterday, a plane carrying the Russian hockey team Yaroslavl Lokomotiv crashed into the Volga River, killing 43 of the 45 passengers on board (the other two are in extremely critical condition), including 36 players, coaches and team officials.

It was one of the worst aviation disasters in sports history.  In an instant, an entire team was gone.  The only parallel I can even think to draw is the crash that killed the entire U.S. figure skating team on its way to the 1961 World Championships.  From a team-sports perspective, the crash involving the Marshall football team in 1970 (the inspiration for the movie We Are Marshall) is probably the closest parallel.  That crash took the lives of 75 people, including 36 players.

With 9/11 on all of our minds, I can't help but draw parallels to that dark day, as well.  After the attacks, sports took their proper place.  Everything was put on hold for a week so that America had time to grieve.  Then life gradually got back to normal.  And sports returned, too, but with a whole different purpose.  Once again sports took their proper place.  They're entertainment.  They gave us a chance to take a break from our lives and think about something else for a little while.  Perhaps most importantly, they uplifted us and made us feel as if it was OK to be happy about something.  They gave us a sense of pride.  Watching the Yankees never felt better than it did during the 2001 World Series.

Just like everything eventually returned to normal after 9/11, things will return to normal for Lokomotiv fans, as well.  It just might take a little longer.  The KHL rightfully postponed all games scheduled for this weekend, moving the start of the season to next weekend.  That season will begin with Lokomotiv.  KHL president Alexander Medvedev has said as much.  He's asked each of the other 23 teams in the league to designate up to three players that will be available for Lokomotiv to draft.  This solution has drawn the ire of some, but it's the right thing to do.  The team won't be the same.  It never will.  But it also needs to be rebuilt.  That's the only way the healing can begin.

Some people have argued that vowing to rebuild right away isn't showing the proper respect to those who were lost, but I think the opposite is true.  With the exception of Canada, Russia is possibly the most hockey-mad nation on earth.  Yaroslavl, located about 150 miles northeast of Moscow, is a city that loves its hockey team.  Lokomotiv gives Yaroslavl its identity.  Those fans need that team now the same way us New Yorkers needed the Yankees 10 years ago.  If they don't have a team to cheer for, it will only add to the pain.  Just ask residents of Brooklyn how it feels to lose your team.  Nobody will ever forget what happened.  But Lokomotiv fans also need the chance to move on.  And I can think of no better tribute to the fallen than Lokomotiv winning the KHL championship in their memory.

This is truly an international tragedy.  The KHL is probably the second-best professional hockey league in the world after the NHL.  In fact, a number of players have left the NHL for the KHL.  The Lokomotiv roster included players from 10 different countries, including Sweden, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and, obviously, Russia.  Their coach was former NHL player Brad McCrimmon, a Canadian.  The roster included a number of former NHL players, including a few names that were instantly recognizable:

• Pavol Demeitra, probably the most recognizable name on the roster, played in the NHL for years, mostly for the St. Louis Blues.  He was also the captain of the Slovakian national team, leading them to a surprise appearance in the Olympic semifinals 17 months ago.
• Ruslan Salei, who played for the Red Wings last season and won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007.
• Josef Vasicek, Karel Ruchanek and Jan Marek, all of whom helped Sweden win three World Championships between 2005 and 2010.
• Goalie Stefan Liv, Henrik Lundqvist's backup on Sweden's gold medal-winning 2006 Olympic team.
• Igor Korolev, who played 795 games in 12 NHL seasons with St. Louis, Winnipeg/Phoenix, Toronto and Chicago.
• Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrantis and San Jose Sharks prospect Daniil Sabchenko.
• Former New York Ranger Alexander Karpovtsev, who, along with Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov and Sergei Zubov, was one of the first four Russians ever to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1994.

This tragedy is very different than what happened 10 years ago this weekend.  But I have a feeling the healing process will be very much the same.  After 9/11, I took comfort in listening to Lee Greenwood's beautiful hymn "God Bless the USA."  Today I listened to "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables and felt better.  If you've never heard the song, I recommend looking it up (I would've posted a YouTube link, but none had any volume).  And while you listen to it, think about Pavol Demeitra and Ruslan Salei and Alexander Karpovtsev and all the others who were lost.  Rest in peace gentlemen.

Pavol Demeitra at the 2010 Olympics