Posted on 12/16/2003 7:55:05 AM PST by mitchbert
Ex-Blackhawk Magnuson killed
Ex-Leaf captain Ramage hurt in three-car crash
VAUGHAN, Ont. (CP) -- Former Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson was killed in a three-car accident near Toronto on Monday, the NHL team announced.
Ex-Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage was also injured in the accident.
Police had been waiting to notify next of kin before confirming the identity of either player but the Blackhawks put the news of his death on their website.
Magnuson and Ramage were reportedly on their way back to Toronto from nearby Bolton, Ont., where they attended the funeral of former NHL player Keith McCreary, who died last week after a battle with cancer.
McCreary was the chair of the NHL Alumni Association. Ramage is the vice-chair and Magnuson is past-chair.
York Region Const. Steve Morrell said the identities would not be released until Tuesday. All he would say is that the deceased was a passenger in a vehicle with a man taken to hospital.
An official at William Osler Health Center in west-end Toronto said Ramage was headed for surgery but wouldn't confirm his condition. Media reports say he suffered a dislocated hip and was in stable condition.
Another woman from a different vehicle was in hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
The accident occurred at around 5 p.m., in Vaughan, a suburb just north of Toronto.
"We're still investigating, but it looks like one car crossed over the centre median," said Morrell.
Magnuson, 56, played in 589 games over 11 seasons, all of them with the Blackhawks. The native of Saskatoon had 14 goals and 125 assists with 1,442 penalty minutes and is regarded as one of the Blackhawks' all-time greats.
Ramage, 44, played in 1,044 games in the NHL from 1979 to 1994, scoring 139 goals with 425 assists. The native of Byron, Ont., captained the Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1991.
He also played for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis, Calgary, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Philadelphia.
Tragic. They were returning from the funeral for former NHL'er Keith McCreary.
Monitoring.
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