Dynamo Minsk Players Honor Lokomotiv Team

Members of the Kontinental Hockey League’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl were flying to Minsk for their season opener when their plane crashed soon after takeoff on Wednesday. Forty-three passengers died, including nearly all of Lokomotiv’s players and coaching staff, in one of the greatest tragedies to ever hit the hockey community.

On Thursday night, Dynamo Minsk players still skated out on the ice of their arena — not for a game, but for a remarkable “hockey funeral” for their fallen opponents, in front of stands packed with fans in mourning. This is as surreal, heartbreaking and moving a moment as we’ve seen on the rink.