Tragedy Strikes The Hockey World Again

Just as the hockey world was recovering from one tragedy, another strikes. Sadly, this seems to be the pattern for the summer of 2011. A plane carrying the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crashed today in Russia, taking the lives of at least 43 people, among them many former members of the NHL community.

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, 27 players were killed, along with two coaches and seven club officials. International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport." Among those confirmed deceased are: Coach Brad McCrimmon, forward Pavol Demitra, defenseman Ruslan Salei, forward Josef Vasicek, defenseman Karel Rachunek, forward Jan Marek, forward Alexander Vasyunov, defenseman Karlis Skrastins and goalie Stefan Liv. "We have no team anymore," Vladimir N. Malkov, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl spokesman, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. "All our starting players, and all the service people, they all burned in the crash."

Twitter was abuzz with reaction from throughout the NHL community. Fans, players, and writers all chimed in with thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families. Russian and Czech players were the most affected as many had close bonds with those on the plane. When Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks heard the news he said, "This is the worst summer ever for hockey." It's hard to disagree.

Today's crash is reminiscent of the crash last April which saw all 96 people on board perish, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński and his wife. A large contingent of the Polish government was on board that plane en route from Warsaw to Smolensk to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre. In the days and weeks ahead, more will become known about exactly what happened and why the plane crashed. It's also highly likely there will be some controversy surrounding the investigation, as there was after the investigation of the crash last April. Russia and other former Soviet Republics have a reputation for poor air traffic safety and for flying antiquated aircraft. According to ESPN:

"The cause of Wednesday's crash was not immediately apparent, but Russian news agencies cited unnamed local officials as saying it may have been due to technical problems. The plane was built in 1993 and belonged to a small Moscow-based Yak Service company.

In recent years, Russia and the other former Soviet republics have had some of the world's worst air traffic safety records. Experts blame the poor safety record on the age of the aircraft, weak government controls, poor pilot training and a cost-cutting mentality."

The KHL came under fire in 2008 after the death of 19 year-old Alexei Cherepanov, who collapsed on the bench during a game and eventually died when Russian doctors were unable to save him. The tragic video of the incident shows how poorly prepared the team and arena were to deal with such a medical emergency. According to reports, the ambulance that is normally at all games had already departed and had to be called back; doctors arrived on the scene a full 15 minutes after Cherepanov collapsed, and the battery on the defibrillator used to attempt to shock Cherepanov's heart back to life was drained. It took approximately 20 minutes to get him to a hospital. To date, no criminal charges have been filed relating to the incident, but several doctors and team officials were suspended indefinitely from the KHL.

The KHL and NHL have had a tense and difficult relationship since the formation of the KHL in 2008. With no salary cap and no formal transfer agreement with the NHL, the KHL has often played fast and loose in trying to lure NHL players away from North America with varying degrees of success. Even with the lure of additional millions from the KHL, any player considering a move to Russia should pause to consider the league's spotty safety record.

It is not clear how the KHL will deal with the loss of an entire team as it does not have provisions in place for a tragedy of such massive proportions. One possibility is to have a draft which would restock the club with players from other teams in the KHL. It will surely be a sad and difficult season for the KHL after such a tragedy, but they will find a way to persevere. The hockey world has seen enough tragedy this summer to last for decades. We can only hope that a wonderful and exciting season awaits to brighten our days.

Recent Deaths Will Lead To Debate On Role Of Fighting

Today the NHL and NHLPA released joint statements regarding the recent deaths that have rocked the hockey community. Along with mentioning the obvious - that the entire hockey community is shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of three young men in the prime of their lives - they stated that they are "committed to examining, in detail, the factors that may have contributed to these events, and to determining whether concrete steps can be taken to enhance player welfare and minimize the likelihood of such events taking place." The statement goes on to say, "It is important to ensure that every reasonable step and precaution is taken to make NHL Players, and all members of the NHL family, aware of the vast resources available to them when they are in need of assistance. We want individuals to feel comfortable seeking help when they need help."

The recent news that Wade Belak's death was a suicide follows on the heels of the recent deaths of Rick Rypien and Derek Boogaard. The debate about fighting in hockey will now reach a fever pitch that hasn't been seen before. Regarding the link between fighting and issues such as substance abuse and depression, there are more questions than there are answers at this point, but that won't stop everyone from having an opinion on how much blame for these deaths should be placed on the fact that all three players were regarded as NHL enforcers. Does fighting belong in hockey? It's a question without an easy answer. If one answers quickly and without any reservations, then there probably wasn't much thought put into the answer. Some are already calling for an immediate end to the "designated fighter" in hockey. However, that is easier said than done. Reducing the size of the roster by one or two players means a loss of jobs. The NHLPA would fight tooth and nail against any proposal which reduces the number of jobs. I don't think a roster reduction is a feasible solution.

This is going to be a battle for which a compromise will be very elusive. The "traditionalist" camp led by folks such as Don Cherry will argue that fighting is part of the fabric of hockey and that it helps players police themselves from cheap shots against the skilled players who can't defend themselves. There is something to be said for that, but after this offseason, it will be more difficult than ever for that camp to counter someone who supports a complete ban on fighting. All that person needs to say is, "Boogaard, Rypien, and Belak, R.I.P." I think the road ahead is going to be very bumpy. The hockey community is heading into a new season with the tragic and preventable deaths of three young men fresh in our minds. Furthermore, there lingers the uncertain future of one of the NHL's premier stars, Sidney Crosby, whose recovery from a concussion is going much more slowly than anyone had anticipated. It just feels more and more as if this road is leading toward the inevitable elimination of fighting in hockey.

For those that argue that the elimination of fighting would be a knee-jerk overreaction, I offer the example of the nets that fans look through at every NHL arena in North America. Back in March of 2002, Brittanie Cecil was struck by a puck while watching the Blue Jackets and died 48 hours later. It was the first and, to my knowledge, only fan fatality in the history of the NHL. One fan death through 85 years fits my definition of a random tragedy. Yet, the NHL saw fit to change the way the game would be watched by fans forever in response. Now we have three deaths in a span of weeks, all raising issues of mental health, depression, and substance abuse. These were three young men who all fought a significant amount during their NHL careers.
I'm not arguing that the removal of fighting is the automatic conclusion to be drawn from these recent deaths. Fighting is wildly popular among the majority of hockey fans. There are even entire websites dedicated to watching hockey fights. I must admit that I have stood up and cheered during a fight; I almost never change the channel when a fight is on the television; and I'm even guilty of watching the occasional fight highlight clip on YouTube. However, I am saying that the possibility needs to at least be explored. The backlash against any potential restriction or elimination of fighting in the NHL would be very strong. It would mean a significant number of players in the NHL would no longer have jobs since their fighting prowess would no longer be needed. As a result, the league's enforcers would most likely speak out against it. "I think the league does a good job. They're trying to limit head shots," Tampa Bay Lightning center Nate Thompson said Monday. "I don't think they can (ban fighting entirely). That's part of the game. It's a physical sport and it always has been. If they take that out of the game that takes a part of the history out of the game."

If one good thing comes from these recent tragic events, it will be the increased attention to the mental health not just of hockey players but of everyone. It's clear that there are significant effects from blows to the head not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Football and boxing have also seen similar tragedies which have sparked a demand for additional research about the relationship between head trauma and mental health. "In the past, we didn't make the connection between brain injuries and things like depression, but now we're much more aware of how they're related." said Dr. Alan Hoffer, assistant professor of neurological surgery and neurocritical care at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. One of the scariest aspects of these recent deaths is that even close friends and family were unable to detect any warning signs. This just reinforces the need for more research. It breaks my heart that our tight knit hockey community has lost three members this offseason, but we should let their memories be a reminder of how important it is for us to give more attention to the mental health issues that our society neglects far too often. I just hope the NHL follows through on its promise.

Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak, may you rest in peace.