PRAGUE (AP) — The start of the Czech hockey league season will be postponed due to the funeral of one of the three Czech victims of the plane crash that killed an entire team in Russia.
Karel Rachunek, Jan Marek and Josef Vasicek were among 37 players, coaches and staff of Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslav hockey club who were killed last week when their Yak-42 jet crashed outside Yaroslavl en route to their first game of the season.
The Czech league announced Monday that the start of the season will be postponed from Friday to Sunday because of Marek’s funeral on Friday in the town of Jindrichuv Hradec.
Rachunek will be buried in Zlin on Wednesday and Vasicek’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday in Havlickuv Brod.
They helped the Czech national team win the world championship in 2005 and 2010.
