Just when the nightmarish summer for the NHL couldn’t possible get worse a charter plane carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslav of the KHL fell from the sky extinguishing the flames of 44 souls. Among the dead were several former NHL players including former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei.
Salei, 36, was drafted by the Ducks ninth overall in 1996. The native of Belarus played the first eight years of his NHL career in Anaheim. Although Salei hasn’t played for the Ducks since 2005-06 he will always be remembered fondly by the fans in Anaheim. “Rusty,” as he was affectionately known, was a fan favorite for many years. His carefree attitude along with his willingness to interact with fans made him beloved by all. The Honda Center, home of the Ducks is sometimes referred to as “The House that Rusty Built”. He really did mean that much to the fans.
I remember meeting him during the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, despite my New Jersey Devils jersey, he took the time to sign a few autographs and even teased me a little about my team loyalty.
After leaving the Ducks, Salei played for the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. After failing to find another NHL contract this summer he elected to return to Russia to play for Lokomotiv in the KHL. Salei was not a star in terms of pure skill, but his ability to deliver a thunderous hit from time to time kept fans aware of his presence on the ice. He registered 204 points and 1065 penalty minutes over the course of 917 NHL games.
All in total, 44 lives were lost on that plane crash. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this tragedy. Hopefully some good comes from this and the KHL and Russian realize the planes they are using are nothing but temporary flying coffins.
We’ll miss you Rusty….R.I.P
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