Alexei Cherepanov Dies

First of all, sorry for waiting a few hours to get this post up.  I was in a car for the last 4+ hours without internet access and Eric is en route from Maryland.

At this point I’m sure all of you have already heard, but the Rangers’ top prospect, Alexei Cherepanov, died a few hours ago while playing in a KHL game.  There were reports that the death resulted from a collision with teammate Jaromir Jagr, however that report has been disputed.  Apparently Cherepanov simply collapsed on the bench and was pronounced dead a short time later.

This is just absolutely devastating news, first and foremost, from a human perspective.  This was a kid who was only 19 years old with a seemingly bright future ahead.

From a Rangers perspective, this is a major blow to the future plans of the organization.  Cherepanov was considered a huge piece of the puzzle and was having a fantastic season so far this year.  Some thought he could even be a part of the big team next year.

Still, it’s hard to look past the tragedy of what took place and think about the future of the organization.  Our thoughts and prayers here at NYRangerscast go out to Cherepanov’s family and friends.