In Memory Of Alexei Cherepanov

by **Gm*Ryan** Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:40 pm

For all of u who might not no but there Rangers up and comming start passed away today after colapsing on the bench during a KHL game.

He was a great player and a future nhl star he will be missed

When the call came into agent Jay Grossman's New York office, he really didn't give it much thought. He was busy on the other line and told an associate to take a message.

Moments later, Grossman learned the call was anything but routine.

It was to inform Grossman that client Alexei Cherepanov, a former first-round draft pick of the NHL's New York Rangers, died suddenly Monday during a Continental Hockey League game in Moscow. The native of Barnaul, Russia was only 19.

"It's a complete shock," Grossman said during a telephone interview. "I was actually on another line and couldn't take the call when one of our associates had called to report the news. I just told my office to take a message, I assumed it was just some sort of injury or something that you could recover from.

"For a young man to be given that much talent and having it all taken away, it really defies any logic. Without putting any comparisons to him or any other people, he was just an exceptional player. He had an unbelievable future ahead of him."

Grossman was told the six-foot-one, 187-pound Cherepanov fell on the ice late in the third period and returned to the Avangard Omsk club's bench, where he collapsed.

"It was really kind of a surreal thing for the players," Grossman said. "He was skating in on a 2-on-1 with Jaromir and then they came back to the bench. Jaromir was talking to him and he told him he has to score on that play. The next thing you know, he collapsed.

"(Jagr) went with him into the dressing room area and they revived him for some time and then he didn't make it."

Grossman said Cherepanov was eventually taken to the hospital, but he was unable to be saved.

"I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that there wasn't an ambulance there (at the arena), that it had left, and that there were problems with the defibrillator that they had there," Grossman said. "Other than that, no details. I don't know if that would've necessarily made a difference."

Sportsnet sources say the ambulance had left the arena late in the third period -- it was thought it wasn't needed anymore -- and had to be called back. As for defibrillator issues, there was some question as to whether the batteries were in good working order.

The Rangers announced the death of Cherepanov shortly before they played at home against the New Jersey Devils.

"He's a Ranger and I think it'll have an impact on people," Renney said. "We're going to have to deal with it in our own personal way, but in the interest of a bright, young life that's over we're going to have to pursue the objective of tonight and that's get two points from New Jersey."

A pre-game moment of silence was observed at Madison Square Garden as Cherepanov's picture was displayed in the midst of a black background on the centre-ice video board.

Grossman added he wasn't aware of any health issues Cherepanov had.

"No," he said. "When he was drafted in '07 he went to the Rangers camp right thereafter.

"We certainly weren't aware of any sort of existing condition."

Glen Sather, the Rangers president and general manager, expressed shock upon learning of Cherepanov's death.

"We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei," Sather said in a statement. "On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family.

"Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man, with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future."

Cherepanov was expected to figure prominently in the Rangers' future plans.

"I was shocked when I heard, I thought it must be a misprint or something because he just had so much going for him," Rangers assistant coach Mike Pelino told The Associated Press. "He was someone who I was really excited about and thought, 'Wow, we did get something special here.'

"He had things to work on. We felt he had to become a little stronger still, he had to probably become a little bit more aware defensively. But as far as raw talent went and the ability to score, he was great."

The National Hockey League Players' Association mourned the loss of a young player brimming with potential.

"The NHLPA is saddened to learn of the passing of Alexei Cherepanov," executive director Paul Kelly said in a statement. "Alexei was a tremendous young man and a highly-skilled hockey player whose promising career had no limits. His unexpected passing at such a young age is a great loss for the entire hockey community.

"The NHLPA extends our condolences to Alexei's family, friends and teammates during this extremely difficult time."

Cherepanov had seven goals and five assists in 14 KHL games this season. He helped lead Russia to a bronze medal at last year's world junior hockey championship.

The previous year, he was an all-star and named the event's top forward after leading the tournament in scoring with eight points (five goals, three assists) in six games as Russian captured a silver medal.

Grossman said he will always remember Cherepanov as a happy, outgoing person.

"He was a really great kid with a great big smile," he said. "When he first came over, his communication skills and English were still pretty basic but you could tell he was a happy kid.

"He wasn't a cocky kid but he was confident in his abilities."

.And Grossman said there was no denying Cherepanov's hockey skills.

"He played three years in the men's level in Russia," he said. "There has been no other player that's done that with as much success as he had had.

"This year was a continuation of that. He was on a point-per-game pace and I believe he even scored in the game today. He was a player who had been given a lot of talent and had an abundance of it."

Cherepanov appeared in 106 career Russian Super League games with Omsk, registering 40 goals and 29 assists. Last season, he established a career high in assists (13) while finishing fourth in club scoring (28 points).

In 2006-07, Cherepanov set a league record for most goals by a rookie (18), eclipsing Pavel Bure's mark of 17.

Cherepanov had 29 points in his first season with Omsk, which was more than Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, Washington's Alexander Ovechkin and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk all registered in their first seasons in the Russian Super League.

The fact that Cherepanov was a first-round pick in the 2007 draft wasn't surprising, but where he was selected certainly was. Prior to the draft he was projected to be a top-five selection but questions regarding whether Cherepanov would sign with an NHL team and leave his home country resulted in him plummeting to the Rangers at No. 17.

-- with files from the Associated Press. TSN.ca