Just over 12 years after his tragic death, former National Hockey League (NHL) player Pavol Demitra is being honored by the St. Louis Blues.
He and Keith Tkachuk and Mike Liut will be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame next January.
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Tkachuk, the team’s current recruiting director, made the announcement via video conference on Monday to the deceased’s wife, Maja Demitra, who was very touched when she heard the news.
Demitra played 847 games in the NHL. He had his best moments in the Blues organization, but also wore the colors of the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks. The Slovakian collected 304 goals and 464 assists for 768 points in the Bettman circuit.
His career ended tragically at the age of 36 while playing in the Continental League (KHL). The ice hockey player and 43 other people died on September 7, 2011 when the plane carrying the Lokomotiv team from Yaroslav, Russia, crashed.
Only one member of the aircraft crew survived this accident.