Roberto Clemente. Payne Stewart. Marshall University football.
They say you’re more likely to be stuck by lighting than die in a plane crash.
Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.
On Wednesday, 43 members of the Lokomotiv hockey team, which plays in the Russian KHL, perished when their aircraft went down shortly after takeoff.
Six former NHL players were among the 43, including former Kings’ forward Pavol Demitra and Ruslan Salei, who had played with the Ducks for nine seasons and was a fan favorite.
It’s always tough when a popular athlete passes before his or her time. It’s even worse for the players, who grew up playing with these guys.
Wednesday’s crash was arguably the worst sporting tragedy since that ill-fated Marshall flight.
But planes have been robbing the world of its best and brightest ever since The Day the Music Died, when Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper went down.
The hockey community will mourn, as we all should. But hockey is for the fans, and the show must go on, especially in the Kontinental Hockey League. The best way to honor these men is to make this hockey season the best one we’ve ever seen.
Make this a year the Lokomotiv guys can smile down upon.
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