Love For Lokomotiv Bracelets Help Support Families of Lokomotiv Crash Victims

Tragedy struck the entire hockey world on September 7th, 2011 in a way no one could have ever thought it would.

On that tragic day, a plane carrying the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team along with its coaches, training staff, and others crashed shortly after takeoff killing all the team’s roster including four players from Lokomotiv’s Junior Team. Only one player from the roster is alive today, forward Maxim Zyuzyakin, who was asked by head coach Brad McCrimmon to stay behind and rest. It was a suggestion by McCrimmon that saved the life of Zyuzyakin.

It was a day that no one will forget in the Kontinental Hockey League, the National Hockey League and the sport of hockey itself around the world.

Fast forward to October, just a short months after the crash and the hockey world has united to support the families of the unfortunate victims of this tragedy.

A charity called Love for Lokomotiv, run by the wives and girlfriends of hockey players, are trying to raise the necessary funds to help the families of the hockey players and team personnel who perished on Sept. 7th in a very touching way. The Love for Lokomotiv women are selling prayer bracelets and a silicone memory bracelet on their LoveforLokomotiv.com website with the funds of each sale going to the families and friends of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl victims.

“The NHL, the NHLPA and the fans here in North America have been amazing, but we’ve also gotten almost overwhelming support worldwide,” Erica Lundmark, heavily involved in the effort to promote and sell Love For Lokomotiv bracelets as a fundraising item, told Slap Shots on Friday. “Almost every team in every league throughout the world has ordered from us, with a lot of teams agreeing to sell them in their buildings and have nights for us. I hope we can schedule a date at Madison Square Garden.

It would be great if they can schedule a date in Madison Square Garden as the New York Rangers were heavily affected by this tragedy losing three former players in Alexander Karpovtsev, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek. Karpovtsev helped the Rangers to win a Stanley Cup in 1994, their first in 54 years.

“The Arizona Community Foundation is handling all of the money to make sure it gets to the proper people who were affected by the crash,” Erica Lundmark said. “We are going to establish scholarships for the children and set aside money so that the players’ wives can get training to learn a trade.”

So touching and so amazing when such a tight knit community like the sport of hockey comes together to help others. The hockey community are like a family and even though this tragedy happened in Russia, it still happened right at our front door with the losses of Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karpovtsev, McCrimmon, Rachunek, Josef Vasicek, Alexander Vasyunov, Karlis Skrastins and so many others that we enjoyed to watch night in and night out on the NHL ice of our favorite teams.

The families, friends and children of these victims need your help.

Please head over to LoveforLokomotiv.com and purchase a prayer bracelet. They are only $10 but that $10 will go a long way from your pocket to the hearts of all the unfortunate people involved in this tragedy.

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