New York Rangers: Their tragic past

A bright future extinguished

Taken with the 17th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Alexei Cherepanov was to be a major part of the New York Rangers organization for years to come.

Expectations were high for the 19-year-old winger after he won a gold medal at the 2007 World Under-18 Championships as well as silver and bronze medals in the 2007 and 2008 Under-20 Championships.

During his 2006-07 season in the Russian Superleague, Cherepanov had 18 goals (and 11 assists) in 46 games, a record for 19-year-olds and better than former players Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.

But his promising future never came to be. Cherepanov collapsed while playing a KHL game in 2008 alongside Avangard Omsk teammate Jaromir Jagr.  Coach Wayne Fleming said, “He just laid back, passed out, and went kind of white.”

Jagr shouted for help, but Cherepanov never regained consciousness and was later pronounced dead. It didn’t help that an ambulance (required at all KHL games) had left before the contest was over and the arena’s defibrillator didn’t work.

Although an initial report cited heart failure, there were whispers of a pre-existing medical condition, something that should have prevented him from being allowed to play professionally, as well as rumors of blood doping.

The KHL retired Cherepanov’s  #7 jersey and renamed their Rookie of the Year trophy after him.

The Rangers asked the NHL for compensation (an extra draft pick), saying that because Cherepanov had never signed a contract with the team, he was eligible for the 2009 Entry Draft. New York was given a second-round pick and the league added the “Cherepanov Rule”, where teams would receive compensation if a first round pick died before signing a contract.