pronounced dead later that evening. Initial reports claimed that he had died of a heart attack. Despite being from a town over 400 miles away from Omsk, Cherepanov's family wanted him to be buried in Omsk, a city that had embraced him during his young hockey career. Thousands of people attended his funeral. His casket was available for viewing on the ice in Avangard's arena before being carried to Staro-Severnoye Cemetery for interment. Investigation In the immediate aftermath of Cherepanov's death, there were many conflicting reports and accusations. Early reports indicated that Cherepanov suffered from chronic myocardial ischemia, and many reports questioned Avangard Omsk's medical staff and why they were unaware of his heart condition. Other reports claimed that Cherepanov's autopsy showed evidence of myocarditis. Outside doctors, particularly in North America were skeptical of this early explanation, believing it unlikely that a young, elite athlete would suffer from an undiagnosed form of ischemia, particularly when considering the medical testing he underwent prior to the NHL draft. Further reports out of Russia suggested a hypertrophic heart, which would be more in line with other cases of sudden death in athletes. In addition to issues with the immediate cause of death for Cherepanov, Russian officials immediately launched an investigation into the emergency response by the team, facilities and paramedics on site. Initial concerns were raised as to why Cherepanov had been allowed to play, if he had a heart condition that should have been picked up by routine medical tests that he was believed to have undergone. The ambulance that is required to be on duty at all KHL games had already left, as there were only five minutes left in the game, and the defibrillator in the arena was non-functional. The investigation into Cherepanov's death continued for several months. In December, reports out of Russia indicated that blood and urine samples collected from Cherepanov showed that he had been engaged in blood doping. This was later clarified, as Russian officials said that what initially appeared to be blood doping was actually an attempt by team officials and doctors to treat Cherepanov's condition surreptitiously. After this revelation in January 2009, the KHL suspended five Avangard officials and doctors for attempting to treat a condition which should have only been managed by experienced cardiologists. The investigation into Cherepanov's death was reopened in August 2009, after federal prosecutors ruled that the previously suspended team