Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Full name	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 2000 – present Torpedo Yaroslavl 1965–2000 Motor Yaroslavl 1964–1965 Trud Yaroslavl 1963–1964 YaMZ Yaroslavl 1959–1963
Nickname(s)	"Loko", "Railwaymen"
Founded	1959
Based In	Yaroslavl, Russia
Arena	Arena 2000 (Capacity: 10,000)
League	KHL 2008 – 2011 RSL 1999–2008 RHL 1996–1999 IHL 1992–1996 USSR Champ. 1987–1992 Soviet Class A 1967–1987 Soviet Class B 1959–1967
Division	Tarasov
Conference	Western
Team Colors
Owner(s)	Russian Railways
President	Yuri Yakovlev
GM	Yuri Lukin
Head Coach	Petr Vorobiev
Affiliates	Loko (MHL)
Website	HCLokomotiv.ru

Hockey Club Lokomotiv (Russian: ХК Локомотив, English: HC Locomotive), also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator.

On 7 September 2011, a plane carrying the team to a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) game in Minsk crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all of the team's roster (plus four players from the Loko MHL junior squad) and coaching staff except for two who were not on the flight, forward Maxim Zyuzyakin and goaltending coach Jorma Valtonen.^[1] The tragedy forced Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to cancel their participation in the 2011–12 KHL season.^[2] The club will instead participate in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League (VHL), the second top ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL, in December 2011 and will automatically be qualified for the VHL playoffs.^[3] Also, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's squad for the 2012–13 KHL season will automatically be qualified for the KHL playoffs that season, and the club may request allowance to use more than six non-Russian players in the KHL squad.^[4]

Overview

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was founded in 1959, and has been formerly known as HC YMZ Yaroslavl, Trud Yaroslavl, Motor Yaroslavl and Torpedo Yaroslavl. The team plays their home games in the Lokomotiv Arena 2000, which provides a capacity for 9,046 persons. From 1959 to 2001, the team played in the Avtodizel Arena. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's team colors are red, white and blue. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl won three Russian championships, in 1997, 2002 and 2003.

History

The team has been known previously by several different names:

• YaMZ Yaroslavl (1959–1963)
• Trud Yaroslavl (1963–1964)
• Motor Yaroslavl (1964–1965)
• Torpedo Yaroslavl (1965–2000)
• Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2000–present)

The team generally played in the Second League of the Class "A" group during the Soviet era, being promoted to the First League of Class "A" for the 1983–84 season. Known as Torpedo Yaroslavl at that time, the team enjoyed moderate success under head coach Sergei Alekseyevich Nikolaev. Never a powerful club during the Soviet era, the team became a consistent winner during the 1990s and won their first league championship in 1997 under coach Petr Vorobev. The club moved from Avtodizel Arena to the new Arena 2000 early in the 2001–02 season, and won consecutive league championships in 2002 and 2003 under Czech head coach Vladimír Vujtek, Sr. Vujtek left the club after the 2002–03 season for a lucrative contract offer from rival Ak Bars Kazan. Lokomotiv have not been able to replicate their success since that time, but remain a perennial contender in the Russian Superleague (RSL).

2011 plane crash

Main articles: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash and 2011–12 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl season

On 7 September 2011, all but one of the club's roster were killed in a plane crash while traveling to an away game in Minsk for the season opener.^[5] The airplane caught fire and crashed shortly after take-off, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Tunoshna Airport. Preliminary reports said that all 45 passengers and crew on board had been killed.^[6] However later reports stated one player from Lokomotiv, plus a flight engineer, had survived the initial crash. Alexander Galimov, a 26-year-old forward who had been with the team since 2004, was conscious and had burns to 90 percent of his body, but died five days later in a hospital in Moscow. 35 bodies have been recovered thus far.^[7]

Prior to the crash, the team played nine pre-season games, finishing with a 7–2 record. On September 3, the players played their last game, at home against Torpedo, winning 5–2. Alexander Galimov, who had initially survived the crash but later died of his injuries, scored the last goal of that game, sealing the win for Lokomotiv with an empty net goal.

In the aftermaths of the crash, KHL president Alexander Medvedev announced that a disaster draft will be held to allow Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to ice a team for the 2011-2012 season.^[8] However, on September 10, 2011, the team announced its intention not to participate in the 2011-2012 KHL season, opting to play in the Russian Major League for one season before returning to the KHL.^[9] Former coach Petr Vorobiev has returned to the team as its head coach.^{[citation needed]}

This is the second plane accident in Russia involving a hockey team; in 1950, the entire VVS Moscow team were killed in an air disaster near Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).^[10]

Honours

1 ! Russian Open Championship winner (3): 1996–97, 2001–02, 2002–03
2 ! Runners-up of KHL (2): 2007–08, 2008–09
3 ! Bronze medal winner of Russian Open Championship and KHL (4): 1997–98, 1998–99, 2004–2005, 2010–11
2 ! Runners-up of IIHF Continental Cup : 2003
3 ! Bronze medal of Spengler Cup: 2003

Statistics in KHL

Season	Regular season												Play-off
	Division	Place in division	Place in Conference	Place in League	G	W	WO	LO	L	Pts	GF	GA	G	W	L	GF	GA	Result
2008–09	Kharlamov Division	1	n/a	3	56	32	4	7	13	111	175	111	19	13	6	57	33	Won in Last 16, 3–1 (HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk) Won in Quarterfinals, 3–0 (HC Spartak Moscow) Won in Semifinals, 4–1 (Metallurg Magnitogorsk) Lost in Final, 3–4 (Ak Bars Kazan)
2009–10	Tarasov Division	3	5	7	56	26	5	8	17	96	163	132	17	10	7	54	37	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–1 (Atlant Moscow Oblast) Won in Conference Semifinals, 4–2 (HC Spartak Moscow) Lost in Conference Final, 3–4 (HC MVD)
2010–11	Tarasov Division	1	1	3	54	33	2	5	14	108	202	143	18	10	8	63	62	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4–3 (HC Dinamo Minsk) Won in Conference Semifinals, 4–1 (Dinamo Riga) Lost in Conference Final, 2–4 (Atlant Moscow Oblast)

References

1. ^ "Canadian coach McCrimmon among 43 dead in Russian plane crash". Tsn.ca. 7 September 2011. http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=375297. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
2. ^ Grigory Sysoey (2011-09-10). "Russia's Lokomotiv ice hockey team to miss season after air disaster". RIA Novosti. http://en.rian.ru/sports/20110910/166693033.html. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
3. ^ "На совещании в Кремле решили: "Локомотив" с декабря начнёт играть в ВХЛ" (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. 2011-09-12. http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/480336. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
4. ^ "KHL’s new Lokomotiv won’t play this season". Red Light. 2011-09-12. http://nhl-red-light.si.com/2011/09/12/khls-lokomotiv-wont-play-this-season/. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
5. ^ Barry, Ellen; Kramer, Andrew E. (7 September 2011). "Crash Wipes Out Elite Russian Hockey Team, Killing Several Veterans of the N.H.L.". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2011
6. ^ "Top KHL squad killed in passenger plane crash in Russia". Rt.com. 7 September 2011. https://rt.com/news/passenger-plane-russia-reports-005/. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
7. ^ Morgunov, Sergei (7 September 2011). "Первые фото с места крушения Як-42 под Ярославлем" (in Russian). Lifenews.ru. http://www.lifenews.ru/news/68920. Retrieved 7 September 2011. 
8. ^ Leonard, Peter (8 September 2011). "KHL delays games, but season will go on for Lokomotiv". nationalpost.com. http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/09/08/khl-delays-games-but-season-will-go-on-for-lokomotiv/. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 
9. ^ "Lokomotiv will not play this season". FOX Sports. 10 September 2011. http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/Lokomotiv-to-miss-KHL-season-091011/. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
10. ^ "Plane Crash Wipes Out Elite Russian Hockey Team". TotalNews. 7 September 2011. http://www.totalnews.nl.eu.org/plane-crash-wipes-out-elite-russian-hockey-team. Retrieved 8 September 2011. 

External links

• Lokomotiv Yaroslavl official website
• Home arena, Statistics, History