Ivan Tkachenko (ice hockey)


Ivan Leonidovich Tkachenko was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 4th round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Death

On 7 September 2011, Tkachenko was killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, when a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger aircraft carrying nearly his entire Lokomotiv team crashed just outside Yaroslavl, Russia. The team was traveling to Minsk to play their opening game of the season, with its coaching staff and prospects. Lokomotiv officials said, "Everyone from the main roster was on the plane plus four players from the youth team."

Charity

Three weeks after Tkachenko's death information appeared in the Internet that during the last four years of his life he had anonymously donated almost 10 million rubles for the treatment of children suffering from serious diseases. He transferred 500 000 rubles of this amount on the day before his death.