news melbourne: Best Online Colleges: 10 Most Shocking Sports Tragedies of All Time

It's been the worst offseason in NHL history. Tom Cavanagh and Rick Rypien both committed suicide, Derek Boogaard died from a drug overdose, and now six current and former NHL players have perished after a plane carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a Russian professional hockey team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl. Sports, though an escape, encapsulate the human condition, and those who follow them closely know that players aren't immune to the same randomness, unpredictability and personal issues we face in our lives. The following sports tragedies shook the nation and the world to their cores, and will remain forever etched in our memories.

U.S. figure skating team plane crash, 1961

Last February marked the 50th anniversary of the crash of Sabena Flight 548, which killed all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team ? including numerous World Champions ? and its coaching staff. En route to Prague from New York City for the 1961 World Championship, it rapidly descended on approach to Brussels, bursting into flames in a field near the airport. As a result, the World Championship event was canceled, and the U.S. had to completely rebuild its figure skating team, a process that took nearly a decade.

Marshall football team plane crash, 1970

We Are Marshall depicts the extensive rebuilding and heeling processes that followed the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932. The Marshall Thundering Herd football team had just suffered a loss to the East Carolina Pirates and was returning home on a flight they hadn't originally chartered. Amid rain, fog and a rugged terrain, it struck the treetops on a hillside, caught fire and nosedived, killing 37 members of the team, eight members of the coaching staff and 25 boosters ? sadly, 70 children lost a parent in the disaster. The nation immediately went into mourning, and the university almost discontinued the program. Fortunately, the fans convinced President Donald Dedmon to support rebuilding, and the rest is history.

Munich Olympics massacre, 1972

The aptly named Palestinian terrorist organization Black September conducted a terrorist operation that forever cast a dark cloud on the 1972 Olympics. A hostage standoff ensued after eight men rounded up nine Israelis in an effort to secure the release of 234 prisoners held in Israel and Germany. After a resolution was delayed, the terrorists demanded to be flown to Cairo, prompting the Germans to organize Operation Sunshine. Knowing of the plan, the terrorists engaged in a shootout with the Germans, leading to the execution of all nine hostages by their captors. In the end, 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were dead, and just three of the terrorists were captured ? the other five were killed.

Roberto Clemente dies in plane crash, 1972

One of the most talented, accomplished and beloved players of his generation, Clemente's death was a devastating blow for the baseball community. The sting was made even greater by the fact that he died while on a relief flight to Managua, Nicaragua, which had just suffered a massive earthquake. Clemente wanted to ensure that the flight would reach its destination ? the previous three relief flights were intercepted by corrupt officials of the Somoza government. The flight he charted had a history of mechanical problems and was overloaded, causing it to plunge into the ocean near Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. He received numerous posthumous honors, perhaps the most notable of which was his early induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Len Bias dies after cocaine overdose, 1986

A standout at Maryland, Bias had a promising future as the newest member of the Boston Celtics. But, just two days after the league's most successful franchise made him the No. 2 overall pick, he succumbed to cardiac arrhythmia caused by cocaine. The traumatic event occurred at his Maryland dorm room with teammates and friends, reaching a crisis point when an emergency medical team failed to restart his heart. Repeated attempts to revive him at the hospital also failed as friends and fans were gathering outside. The shock that overtook that crowd eventually overtook the nation. An entire generation remembers where they were when Bias died, another 1980's tragedy induced by drugs.

Zambia national soccer team plane crash, 1993

The entire Zambian soccer team ? 18 players and the coaching and support staff ? was aboard Zambian Air Force Buffalo DHC-5D when its left engine caught fire, causing the pilot to mistakenly switch off the right engine and the aircraft to fall into the water near Libreville, Gabon. Today, they're buried and remembered at Heroes' Acre outside of Independence Stadium in Lusaka. In a comeback story similarly experienced by the Marshall football program, the newly rebuilt team immediately rebounded, making an improbable run to the African Nations Cup final, where it narrowly lost to Nigeria.

Dale Earnhardt dies in crash at Daytona, 2001

Losing Dale Earnhardt was akin to losing someone such as Michael Jordan or Joe Montana. When NASCAR president Mike Helton announced his death following the 2001 Daytona 500, a large piece of NASCAR died as well. As the race was nearing completion, the left rear of Earnhardt's car was bumped by the right front of Sterling Marlin's car, forcing Earnhardt to correct, which caused him to crash into the wall at a speed of 155 to 160 mph. The incident resulted in the implantation of rules requiring head and neck restraints, which might have saved his life.

Oklahoma State basketball team plane crash, 2001

Following a game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Colorado Buffaloes, a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 carrying members of the media and two players ? Nate Fleming and Daniel Lawson ? crashed near Strasberg, Colorado. It was later determined that mechanical failure was the cause. Last January, the Oklahoma State community remembered the 10 men who lost their lives during halftime of the Texas game. Former coach Eddie Sutton and former player Desmond Mason discussed the impact the men had on the program and many lives with whom they came into contact.

Three football players lost at sea, 2009

Marquise Cooper and Corey Smith, both NFL players, and Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, both former football players at South Florida, merely wanted to spend a day fishing in the Gulf. But an unfortunate error caused the boat to capsize, leaving the four men in a fight for their lives. Two days later, Schuyler was found by the Coast Guard floating and clinging to the boat, with Cooper, Smith and Bleakley nowhere in sight. Private searchers continued to look for the three men, but called it off four days later. It was a remarkable story of survival for Schuyler, but, of course, it was also an extremely traumatic experience, as he witnessed his friends' final moments.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team plane crash, 2011

An outpouring of sympathy and condolences have come from the 10 countries from which the players and coaches hailed. Overall, 44 of the 45 people on board died, including Alexander Galimov, who died five days later. The Yak-Service Yakovlev Yak-42 was en route to Minsk, Belarus from Yaroslavl, Russia for the start of the 2011-12 Russian Major League season. The accident occurred when it struck a beacon tower mast after it failed to gain altitude, causing it to fall into the river bank of the Tunoshna River. Memorial services were subsequently held around Russia, where Rene Fasel, International Ice Hockey Federation president, described it as "the darkest day in the history of our sport."