Ruslan Salei to be inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame on IIHF WC closing day

Ruslan Salei, the former captain of the Belarus national ice hockey team, who died in a plane crash together with the Lokomotiv team on 7 September 2011, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on the last day of the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk on 25 March, Evgeny Vorsin, the chairman of the LOC.

Ruslan Salei will be the first representative of Belarus who will be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

"The ceremony will be conducted by the IIHF. They have already presented the plan, and it is quite elegant and simple. Personal participation in of hockey players is required. Exception has been made for Ruslan Salei who will be inducted posthumously. In such cases relatives or family members are invited. Ruslan's wife is supposed to take part in the ceremony. But she has three young children, so it is unknown whether she will be able to travel from the United States to attend the ceremony,” said Evgeny Vorsin.

During the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies the IIHF talks about the merits of hockey players. The event takes place in the presence of media and other persons accredited for a world championship. According to Evgney Vorsin, there are no attendance quotas and restrictions. Everyone is welcome to attend. The venue for Ruslan Salei's ceremony will be the congress hall of the Victoria Olympus Hotel in Minsk.

Ruslan Salei was a student of Minsk Ice Hockey School of Olympic Reserve No.12. He participated in the Olympic Games in Nagano, Salt Lake City and Vancouver, and several World Championships as part of the national team of Belarus. He played for Belarus national team in 1993-2010. He signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL but perished in the plane crash that killed the entire team. He was buried in Minsk, in the Avenue of Honor at Moskovskoye cemetery. His jersey number 24 was retired by the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association for international competition.

The International Ice Hockey Federation will also induct players Vyacheslav Bykov, Andrei Khomutov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman and Murray Costello in its Hall of Fame in a ceremony during the IIHF World Championship in Minsk.