Dimitri Tertyshny
DIMITRI TERTYSHNY KILLED IN BOATING ACCIDENT
Saturday July 24, 1999
~from nhlpa
PHILADELPHIA-22-year-old Russian defenseman Dimtri Tertyshny was killed Friday in a boating accident near Kelowna, British Columbia.
Tertyshny, a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, was kneeling on a seat of the boat when he fell into the water after the vessel hit a wave. The boat went over his body and he was stuck in the neck area by the propeller of the 90 horsepower motor.
Traveling with Tertyshny were the boat's driver, left winger Francis Belanger, and defenseman Mihail Chernov, who play for the club's minor league affilliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. A woman the player met, Michelle Monroe, also was on the boat, which was rented for an outing on Okangan Lake, about three hours east of Vancouver.
Staff Sgt. Phillip Boissonneault of Royal Canadian Mounted Police said despite the severe injuries, Tertyshny came to the surface, swam towards the boat and was brought on board.
"They got him back into the boat and it appears he died on the boat," Boissonneault said. "It appears it was a massive loss of blood."
The incident happened at roughly 7:25 p.m. EDT and the boat got back to shore to meet authorities roughly 10 minutes later. Rescue officials were alerted at 7:32, but it already was too late.
The three players were among 11 from the organization that were in Kelowna for a power skating clinc.
Flyers General Manager Bob Clarke said Belanger and Chernov will head back to Philadelphia together and that all of the players will have the option to meet with professional therapists.
In his first NHL season, Tertyshny registered two goals and eight assists with 30 penality minutes. He played in one playoff game.
"When something like this happens, the least of my worries is the hockey team." Clarke said, "You worry about Tertyshny's family and you worry about all the other things you think about when a yound man passes away."
Tertyshny's wife, Paulinge, is in Russia, where is body will be transported. A sixth-round draft choice in 1995, he was a native of Chelyabinsk.
HONOURING A TEAMMATE, HONOURING A FRIEND
Tuesday September 21, 1999
~from NHLPA
Earlier this summer, a boating accident took the life of 22-year-old Philadelphia Flyer Dimitri Tertyshny. Tonight, his teammates will honour his memory in a charity hockey game against the team's AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Proceeds from the event will go to support Tertyshny's widow Polina, who is pregnant with his son
Recently, the Flyers' Keith Jones and Karl Dykhuis offered nhlpa.com their recollections of playing with Tertyshny. He was, in their words, just a kid who wanted to play hockey.
Karl Dykhuis:
"Dimitri was a first-class person. He was always happy to be on the ice. He worked hard and gave his best every day."
"He got aling with everybody. Someone who you will always remember as a good person."
Keith Jones:
"He was was self-disciplined and respectful of others. His attitude stood out the most. He made the most out of each day he spent at the rink. He never took things for granted."
"We lost a very important part of our team as well as a good friend to all of us. He was a hard-working kid who really wanted to make it in the NHL. We all respected that."
Roger Neilson:
"dimitri was a pleasant surprise at his first training camp. He caught the eye of everyone with his quickness and with his desire to compete."
"Everyone loved him. He always had a smile on his face and he fit in quite easily with the rest of the guys."
"Tonight's game is a good idea. All the fans want to help out it's a great way to raise money for Dimitri's family."