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In a touching and emotional video, the late Pavol Demitra's wife, Maja Demitra, was left shocked upon hearing the news that her husband was posthumously selected for induction into the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame.
The announcement came during a conversation between Keith Tkachuk and Maja Demitra. Tkachuk expressed his excitement about being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and shared the incredible news that Pavol would be joining him.
Keith Tkachuk said:
"We just started this program with the Blues that were inducting people into the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame and I just got the call that I'm going in and obviously I wouldn't have done it without Pav but I even got even better news I'm going in with Pavel."
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He added:
"So Pavel is going to be inducted into the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame and it's going to be something that's happened in January. So I'm pretty excited to going in, but I'm even more excited that I'm going in with Pav.
"And I'm happy for you and your family and the kids and everybody to know Pav and to do this with them. I'm so blessed that we have this opportunity and we miss them every day."
Maja Demitra was overwhelmed by the unexpected announcement, and her emotional reaction was quite expected. She said:
"I can't believe this. I didn't expect this at Mean. I'm still processing mean. Oh my goodness, I can't believe this."
The induction ceremony, scheduled for January 19, 2024, at the Missouri Athletic Club, will honor not only Pavol Demitra but also Mike Liut and Keith Tkachuk.
Remembering the Tragic Plane Crash of Pavol Demitra and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Hockey Team in 2011
On September 7, 2011, Pavol Demitra, a former NHL player, tragically lost his life in a plane crash in Russia. On that fateful day, a Russian jet was transporting the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) hockey team to Minsk, Belarus for a game when it tragically crashed into a riverbank shortly after takeoff.
Out of the initial 43 people on board, only two survived. Among the devastating casualties were 27 players from the team, including former NHL players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek, Karlis Skrastins, Ruslan Salei, and Pavol Demitra. Brad McCrimmon, a former NHL assistant coach also perished in the crash.
According to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, the Yak-42 plane crashed almost immediately after departing from the airport near Yaroslavl, a city located 240 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Russian media reports indicated that the aircraft struggled to gain altitude and ultimately collided with a signal tower, causing it to shatter into pieces.
