During the entirety of the 2011 pre-season , Datsyuk wore jersey number 24 as a tribute to former teammate Ruslan Salei , who perished on 7 September 2011 , in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash , along with 43 others . Datsyuk was an early-season candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy , awarded to the League MVP , until a knee injury in February forced the Red Wings into a slump . The team dropped from first place in February to fifth at the end of the season , where they drew the Nashville Predators in the first round , losing the series four games to one . Datsyuk finished the season with 67 points in 70 games for the regular season , and was also named to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
Pavel Datsyuk