Gone but not forgotten.
Pavol Demitra was a Slovakian NHL player who captained the country’s hockey team and represented them three times in the Winter Olympics.
Along with that, Demitra had a memorable NHL career from 1993-2010, playing for the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and the Vancouver Canucks.
Demitra last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL and was one of the many who lost their lives when the team’s plane crashed on September 7, 2011. Forty-three people died in the accident.
So when Slovakia won the silver medal at the 2012 IIHF world championships, they honoured Demitra’s memory as he inspired the team’s effort in the tournament.
Slovakian native and current Florida Panthers forward Tomas Kopecky was one of the silver-medal winners who honoured Demitra by visiting his grave bearing flowers and the medal.
