He personified not only what it meant to wear orange and black in the 1980s, but the essence of what a Flyer defenseman was.
Thats how Brad McCrimmon got the nickname The Beast.
The 52-year-old former longtime NHL blueliner was among those killed on Wednesday when a Russian plane carrying the KHLs Lokomotiv hockey team crashed immediately after takeoff, according to The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.
McCrimmon had left the Detroit Red Wings organization this summer to accept the head coaching job with Lokomotiv. He was a member of the Flyers from 1982-87.
Im personally saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our former players, Brad McCrimmon, and his teammates, said Flyers chairman Ed Snider. Brad was one of the toughest defensemen to ever wear the black and orange. He gained the nickname The Beast for his tenacity on the blue line and his ability to shut down our opponents.
Off the ice, Brad was a true gentleman. A kind, caring and wonderful human being. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, as well as the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.
The Russian ministry said at least 43 people were killed and two others critically injured when the Yak-42 plane crashed into a riverbank on the Volga River near the city of Yaroslavl, 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Moscow.
NHL
I talked to McCrimmon four or five times last month, said teammate Rick Tocchet, who played with McCrimmon against some of those great Edmonton teams in the 1980s that faced the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final.
He had left Detroit and told me it was a good deal for him, a chance to make some money and go coach. Brad is a really good coach. This has been such a bad summer for hockey, every day, the deaths, everything else, Sidney Crosbys situation.
The aging plane, loaded with as many as nine former NHL players, including Pavol Demitra and Ruslan Salei, Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Karlis Skrastins, was transporting Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl to Minsk, where the two teams were to play in their first game of the regular season.
It is a sad day for hockey, said Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko. On
behalf of the Philadelphia Flyers, we are all saddened to hear of this tragedy in Russia. We would like to send our thoughts and prayers to the families of the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team.
In particular, we remember Brad McCrimmon, who was part of the greatest defensive duo in the history of our club. He was an outstanding defenseman and one of the greatest to ever wear the orange and black. He will sorely be missed.
This has been a terrible summer for hockey with the deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, Wade Belak and now an entire team from the KHL, including a Flyer.
Its been one thing after another, Tocchet said. Some of these minor compared to the death but what is going on with hockey?
McCrimmon was paired with Mark Howe during much of his career in Philadelphia.
They were plus-85 every year, Brian Propp said earlier this summer when Howe was named to Hockeys Hall of Fame. You knew when you were on the ice with him you would have an offensive chance and not have to work as hard on defense as much because Howe was so good at getting back.
Propp and McCrimmon were best of friends in junior hockey. They played together three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
We had dynamite teams and forged close relationships on and off the ice, Propp said. When he came to the flyers it was like a dream come true. Hearing this news today, this is so tragic. We have a Flyer alumni hockey game here tonight in Toronto, too.
McCrimmon was just 5-foot-11, 193 pounds. Yet he was in hockey parlance thick, as they say. He hit like a truck, he cleared the crease. With his physical presence he seemed the perfect compliment to Howe.
He got his nickname for the way he played on the ice, Propp said. You did not want to play against him. He was mean, he played for his teammates and he protected the front of his net and his goaltender. You didnt want him around on the ice if he were mad at you.
People dont realize what a great team leader he was in Calgary when the Flames won the Stanley Cup 1989. What he meant to people off the ice. Taking rookies and bringing them into the house and teaching them.
Among the players McCrimmon mentored was a young Chris Pronger in Hartford.
McCrimmon was a part of an early legion of defensemen who routinely racked up major minutes on the ice long before it was fashionable.
The one thing, him and Mark together, they probably played 33 to 35 minutes a game, Tocchet said. Part of why they called him a beast.
People talk about Zdeno Chara, but guys like Brad were doing it back then with plusminus in the 80s or better. I know the first five or six years when I played with those guys, being on the ice with Brad and Mark, Brad was such a smart player who cleared the net and made those first passes. He was a good leader in the room.
Brad is one of the reasons why I played as long as I did in the NHL. Him and Mark Howe and Dave Poulin. I lived with Brad a couple of months my first or second year until I found a place. He helped me make it to the NHL. He taught me how to be a pro.
You talk about small things in life. If you were on the road and had no money with you, you could go to Brad and would give you 100. If there was a restaurant in the city, he would organize a team meal. Brad was an influential part of a lot of peoples careers.
Dave Poulin, who captained the Flyers while McCrimmon was there, was in shock at his office in Toronto. Poulin is vice president of hockey operations for the Maple Leafs.
Really sad news, Poulin said. Im finding as the day goes on that Im less apt to say anything at this point. A lot of reflection regarding Brad, and what we all went through together. It was a very tight group of guys. Our thoughts and prayers from Toronto certainly go out to his family.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement:
Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey worldincluding the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League. Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said, Everyone within the NHLPA family is deeply saddened by the tragic passing today of players, coaches and staff from the KHL hockey club, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
The club included many former NHLPA members, as well as many members of the international hockey community. Words cannot express the profound sorrow that this loss has created. Our sincere condolences go out to the friends and families who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy.
McCrimmon was a native of Saskatchewan. He played defense for six NHL teamsBoston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix from 1979-80 to 1996-97.
He played 1,222 regular season games in the NHL, scoring 81 goals, 322 assists for 403 points while amassing 1,416 penalty minutes. McCrimmon was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Red Wings. He also served as head coach of the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades.
Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, called it the darkest day in the history of the sport," in a statement.
This is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community with so many nationalities involved, Fasel said.The Associated Press and Toronto Sun contributed to this report.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net