Bill Meltzer Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSS
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One year ago today, new Lokomotiv Yaroslavl head coach Brad McCrimmon and his team were en route from Yaroslavl to the KHL regular season opener in Minsk, Belarus when their chartered plane caught fire and crashed moments after takeoff.
A subsequent investigation has revealed that not only was the Yak 42 plane itself outmoded and unsafe but the charter-service airline knowingly used pilots who were unqualified to the fly the plane.
McCrimmon's family -- parents, sibllings, wife Maureen and children, Carlin and Liam -- are in our thoughts today, along with all of the victims and families associated with Lokomotiv. The Beast was one of a kind.
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2012 first-round pick Scott Laughton recorded an assist in the Oshawa Generals' 5-1 exhibition game win over Peterborough last night. They are now 1-1 on the preseason. The Generals host the Petes tomorrow night. The regular season starts Sept. 20.
Flyers prospect, Valeri Vasiliev, sustained a possible concussion in MHC Spartak's regular season game on Monday. He took a high hit and went off the ice. After the game, he reported feeling OK. However, he has not played in either of two games since. MHC Spartak will be in action next Wed against MHC Khimik.
Taylor Leier's Portland Winterhawks will play a road preseason game in Kootenay tonight. The regular season starts on Sept. 21.
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Whenever the Flyers' 2012-13 season begins, there will be a couple uniform number changes. Per Anthony SanFilippo, Ruslan Fedotenko bargained with Erik Gustafsson to get his old #26 back, with Gustafsson taking #3.
Matt Walker, entering the final year of a contract the Flyers have buried in the AHL for most of the last two seasons, will switch from #8 to #18 if he dresses in any NHL games.
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