Ruslan Salei Ruslan Albertovich " Rusty " Salei ( Belarusian : Руслан Салей ; November 2 , 1974 – September 7 , 2011 ) was a Belarus ian professional ice hockey player . Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) for the Detroit Red Wings , Colorado Avalanche , Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , who selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft . At the time of his death , he was with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) . Salei died on September 7 , 2011 , when a Yakovlev Yak - 42 passenger aircraft , carrying the entire Lokomotiv team crashed near Yaroslavl on its way to Minsk , Belarus , to start the 2011 – 12 KHL season . Playing career . Salei was selected by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ninth overall at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft . In 1992 , prior to being selected for the Ducks , Salei played in his native Belarus for Dinamo Minsk in the Russian Elite League . After the 1994 – 95 season , the Russian Elite League re - aligned , pushing Tivali Minsk to the side . Salei then came to North America , being signed by General Manager Bob Sturmm of the Las Vegas Thunder without Sturmm knowing of his capabilities . During a successful spell with the Thunder , Salei was drafted by the Ducks and soon signed a three - year deal worth $ 2 . 25 million . Salei split time between the Ducks , Baltimore Bandits , and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) before becoming a full squad member of the Ducks by the end of the 1997 – 98 season . In October 1999 , Salei was suspended by the NHL for ten games after he checked Dallas Stars center Mike Modano face first into the boards from behind . Modano suffered a slight concussion , strained ligaments in his neck , and a broken nose . Salei played all 21 playoff games in the 2002 – 03 NHL season , which saw the Ducks go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals , only to lose in seven games to the New Jersey Devils . During the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , Salei played in the Russian Superleague ( RSL ) for AK Bars Kazan . He returned to the Ducks upon resumption of the NHL the following season and played with the Ducks until the end of the 2005 – 06 season , playing 594 regular season games in his career for Anaheim , the franchise record for a defenseman . On July 2 , 2006 , Salei signed with the Florida Panthers on a four - year contract , worth $ 12 million . Salei quickly settled with the Panthers with his most productive season in 2006 – 07 , where he totaled 32 points , scoring six goals and 26 assists in 82 regular season games . He continued his new - found offensive production in 2007 – 08 and as the Panthers fell out of playoff contention , Salei was traded at the NHL trade deadline to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Kārlis Skrastiņš and a third round draft pick on February 26 , 2008 . As a veteran and in his first full season with the Avalanche in 2008 – 09 , Salei finished second among defenseman with 21 points in 70 games . He appeared in his 800th career NHL game against the St . Louis Blues on January 15 , 2009 and surpassed 1 , 000 career penalty minutes against the Minnesota Wild on March 12 , 2009 . Ruslan suffered a back injury to start the 2009 – 10 season subsequently missed 56 games . He was able to recover in time to lead Belarus in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics , but was relegated as a reserve defender upon his return to the Avalanche , playing in a career low 14 games . On August 9 , 2010 , the Detroit Red Wings announced Salei signed as a free agent to a one - year contract with the club worth $ 750 , 000 , with an additional $ 350 , 000 in performance bonuses . According to General Manager Ken Holland , Salei ' s positive experiences under current Red Wings coach Mike Babcock in Anaheim contributed to his decision . Salei signed a one - year contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League on July 5 , 2011 . Death . The 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash occurred on September 7 , 2011 , at 4 : 02 PM local time , when a Yakovlev Yak - 42 passenger aircraft , carrying nearly the entire hockey team of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) crashed near Yaroslavl , Russia on its way to Minsk , Belarus , to start the 2011 - 12 KHL season . The majority of the club ' s roster were killed in the plane crash . The airplane caught fire and crashed shortly after take - off , merely 4 kilometers from the Tunoshna Airport . Preliminary reports say that 44 of the 45 passengers and crew on board had been killed , including the entire roster and 4 youth players , and that the remaining one ( Alexander Galimov ) was in critical condition and later died .