The only member of a top Russian hockey team to survive a plane crash that killed 44 people died Monday of his injuries in a Moscow hospital, a final bitter blow to all those who mourned the team's loss. The Vishnevsky hospital said 26-year-old Alexander Galimov died of the severe burns that covered about 90 percent of his body, despite the best efforts of doctors in its burn unit, considered one of the best in Russia. The crash Wednesday of a chartered Yak-42 jet outside the western city of Yaroslavl took the lives of 28 players, two coaches and seven other staff of the local Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey club. The only other person to survive, flight crew member Alexander Sizov, remained in intensive care at Moscow's Sklifosovsky hospital. Unlike many other members of Lokomotiv who were European Union citizens and once played in the NHL, Galimov was a native of Yaroslavl and a product of its youth program. His initial survival had inspired the entire city, where the team was a source of great pride. At rallies following the crash, fans chanted “Galimov, live for the whole team!” and other slogans dedicated to him. “All of Yaroslavl, all of the country, all of the world followed the doctors' words, believing, hoping, praying that he would defeat death and remain with us,” Yaroslavl Gov. Sergei Vakhrukov said Monday. The governor described Galimov, a forward, as a fan favorite who remained true to his home club for many years. Team pulls out Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will not take part in this year's Kontinental Hockey League season, Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said Monday. Mutko said that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl would be demoted to a lower league as part of a gradual rebuilding program, in line with the team management's wishes. “At a meeting with the president, we arrived at the conclusion that we must support those decisions taken by the club,” Mutko said after a high-level discussion on plans for Lokomotiv chaired by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Lokomotiv president Yury Yakovlyev said the team might begin playing in December in the Major Hockey League, which is the second tier of Russian hockey. By way of a concession, Lokomotiv will be automatically eligible to compete in next year's playoffs, regardless of where it places in the MHL.
