Sports normally bring extreme happiness to those who watch and play them. These are highly entertaining games played by the most talented players in the world. However, every now and then there are moments and events that we can’t help but get said about. Here are four of the saddest moments in NHL history.
1. Wayne Gretzky Being Traded
(source: http://oilonwhyte.com/)
While this was likely a moment of utter joy for L.A Kings fans, the rest of the hockey world was saddened and shocked by this announcement. Gretzky was a legendary player for the Edmonton Oilers and was a national treasure in Canada. During a speech soon after the trade was announced, Gretzky welled up and began to tear up and cry, as hundreds of thousands of Canadians watched and did the same.
2. 2011 Lokomotiv Plane Crash
(source: sports.yahoo.com)
This event was an absolutely horrific plane crash that occurred in Europe on September 7th 2011 and was one of the worst days in hockey history. The plan that crashed was carrying the entire Lokomotiv team in the KHL and there were 44 fatalities as a result with former NHLers Josef Vasicek, Pavol Demitra, Karlis Skrastins, Ruslan Salei and Karel Rachunek among the victims. The way the plane crashed is even worse as the pilot falsified his knowledge of how to work the plane.
3. The Death of Brittanie Cecil
(source: hockeygods.com)
To date, this is the only fan fatality in NHL history and was an incredibly heartbreaking moment. While attending a game, Cecil was struck in the head by a deflected puck and was transported to hospital, but died 48 hours later. This tragedy is actually what led to the NHL finally putting netting up over the glass and it really is a shame that it took the loss of a human life for them to finally make this change.
4. The Death of Luc Bourdon
(source: fanpop.com)
As a Canuck’s fan, this one hit me harder than almost any other event in NHL history but it wasn’t only Canucks fans that were saddened by this terrible event. Bourdon was the 10th overall pick of the Canucks in the 2005 Draft and was a promising young player with a great career ahead of him, but then the unthinkable happened. Bourdon passed away in 2008 when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a tractor-trailer and was killed on impact. This was another example of a preventable death and is a tragic shame for hockey fans everywhere.
