A Russian former head coach in the professional Kontinental Hockey League died in a car accident on Tuesday while returning home from the funeral of a fellow coach, state media reported.
Sergei Mikhalyov, 67, who coached team Salavat Yulayev Ufa in the southern Ural Mountains, died when the car he was traveling in collided with an oncoming truck on a highway in the neighboring Chelyabinsk region, news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Mikhalyov had attended the funeral of Valery Belousov, the former coach of fellow KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk, who had died last week at age 66. Mikhalyov's team said on its website that it will hold a memorial service at its Ufa Arena on Wednesday.
Investigators have launched a criminal case into the incident to determine whether traffic safety violations caused the crash, the news agency reported.
In addition to his extensive experience in the KHL, Mikhalyov is remembered for leading Russia's under-20 team to a silver medal at the World Junior Championship in 2006.
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