Love For Lokomotiv

The NHL season is now underway, but the hockey world has not forgotten the tragedy that struck in Russia when a plane crash took the lives of 44 people, including the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team, in one of the sports world’s worst aviation disasters. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plays in the Kontinental Hockey League, which is the premier hockey league in Russia. They chose to cancel their participation in the 2011-2012 KHL season after all 37 members of the team (26 players, 8 coaches/staff) died in the plane crash. International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash “the darkest day in the history of our sport.”

The wives of two Phoenix Coyotes players, Kodette LaBarbera and Katerina Jokinen, have started a fundraising effort to help the families of those who perished in the tragic plane crash on September 7. They have designed bracelets that will be sold by player wives and girlfriends from every NHL team at all 30 NHL arenas this season. Proceeds from the bracelets will go to the families of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team. “We were all affected by the incredible tragedy that took place in Russia a few weeks ago,” said Kodette LaBarbera. “We wanted to unite all the wives and girlfriends in the hockey world to show our support for the families of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. We are thrilled to have wives and girlfriends from every NHL team involved in this project and we hope that hockey fans in North America and all over the world will support this project by purchasing bracelets at games this season.” If you are attending an NHL game this winter, please make sure to purchase a bracelet. If you don’t think you’ll be able to attend a game in person, you can still buy a bracelet here.

Tomorrow night the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will meet for the first time this season in a battle of fierce rivals that features two of the highest profile and most talented Russian players in the world, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. Both players were deeply affected by the tragedy as they were close with many of those who perished in the crash. The rivalry will take a back seat tomorrow night as the two clubs focus on raising money for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl families. The players will be wearing commemorative patches on their jerseys in honor of those players, coaches, and staff of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl that died in the crash. After the game, the players will autograph their jerseys, and the jerseys will then be auctioned off at NHL.com. The auctions will run from October 13th to October 27th. One of these game worn jerseys makes a perfect gift for any sports memorabilia collector.