Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Facts for Kids

Founded	1959
Arena	Arena 2000 (Capacity: 8,905)
League	KHL 2008–2011, 2012–present VHL 2011–2012 RSL 1996–2008 IHL 1992–1996 Soviet League Class A 1987–1992 Soviet League Class A2 1966–1967, 1968–1970, 1983–1987 Soviet League Class A3 1967–1968, 1970–1983 Soviet League Class B 1963–1966
Division	Tarasov
Conference	Western
Uniform
Owner(s)	Russian Railways
President	Yuri Yakovlev
Captain	Alexander Yelesin
Affiliates	Molot-Prikamye Perm (VHL) Loko (MHL)

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl is a professional ice hockey team from Yaroslavl, Russia. They play in the top ice hockey league in Russia, called the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The team's name, "Lokomotiv" (which means "Locomotive"), comes from its owner, Russian Railways, which is Russia's national train company.

On September 7, 2011, a terrible plane crash happened. Almost the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team was on board. They were flying to a game in Minsk when their plane crashed during takeoff. This sad event meant the team could not play in the 2011–12 KHL season.

Team History
- The 2011 Plane Crash
- Returning to the KHL (2012–13 Season)
Team Honors
- Champions
- Runners-up
Images for kids
See also

Team History

The team has had a few different names over the years:

YaMZ Yaroslavl (1959–1963)
Trud Yaroslavl (1963–1964)
Motor Yaroslavl (1964–1965)
Torpedo Yaroslavl (1965–2000)
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2000–present)

For a long time, during the Soviet era, the team usually played in the lower leagues. But in the 1983–84 season, they moved up to a higher league. After the Soviet Union ended, the team, then called Torpedo Yaroslavl, became very successful. They won their first championship in 1997 in the Russian Superleague (RSL).

In the 2001–02 season, the club moved to a new home, Arena 2000. They then won two championships in a row in 2002 and 2003. Since then, Lokomotiv has continued to be a strong team in both the RSL and the KHL.

The 2011 Plane Crash

On September 7, 2011, the Lokomotiv team was traveling to Minsk for their first game of the 2011–12 KHL season. The airplane carrying the team crashed right after trying to take off from Tunoshna Airport. Out of 45 people on board, only one flight engineer survived.

After this tragic event, the KHL president, Alexander Medvedev, offered to help Lokomotiv Yaroslavl form a new team. However, on September 10, 2011, the team decided not to play in the KHL for the 2011–2012 season. Instead, they chose to play in a league called the Supreme Hockey League (VHL) for one season. Their former coach, Petr Vorobiev, came back to lead the team during this time.

The team planned to return to the KHL the next season, and they were given special permission to use more non-Russian players. This accident was not the first time a Russian hockey team was involved in a plane crash. In 1950, the entire VVS Moscow team also died in a plane crash.

Returning to the KHL (2012–13 Season)

On April 9, 2012, Tom Rowe became the team's new head coach. For the 2012–13 KHL season, Lokomotiv added several new players, including some who had played in the National Hockey League (NHL). This helped the team rebuild and get ready to compete again in the KHL.