Igor Korolev Tragic ending

On my walk at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, I discovered the grave of former Toronto Maple Leaf, Igor Korolev.

Korolev’s life was tragically cut short on September 7, 2011, just one day after his 41st birthday, when a passenger plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team crashed just outside Yaroslavl, Russia. The team was en route to Minsk for the opening game of the 2011 KHL season. Everyone on board was killed, including Korolev and head coach Brad McCrimmon, a former NHL defenseman.

The disaster was one of the darkest days in hockey history, sending shockwaves through the global hockey community, especially in Toronto, where Korolev had left a lasting impression.

Igor Korolev played for several NHL teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, and Chicago Blackhawks, before returning to Russia to continue his career and later transition into coaching.

His death was not only a loss to the hockey world but to all who knew him as a teammate, mentor, and friend.

Igor Korolev died on September 7, 2011. He was only 41 years old.

1970-2011