The world of ice hockey was in shock and grief after suffering its "darkest day" when a plane carrying the Russian team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crashed on Wednesday, killing 43 people and leaving just two survivors.

The Chinese Ice Hockey Association joined the rest of the world in expressing grief and sadness over the tragedy.

"We are shocked to hear of this sad news. This is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community," the CIHA wrote in a letter of condolence to the Russian ice hockey association.

"On behalf of the Chinese ice hockey community, the Chinese ice hockey association extends our deepest sympathy to the families, relatives and friends of players of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl who were in this fatal plane crash."

Elsewhere, the International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said in a statement on the federation website that "this is a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community with so many nationalities involved."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with family and friends of the victims."

"It is a huge loss for the hockey world. It's very tragic," said Swede Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit's Norris trophy winning defenceman.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the tragedy affected the entire hockey world.

"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world - including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, team mates and friends who at one time excelled in our League," Bettman said in a statement.

Former players

One of the NHL teams affected was the Los Angeles Kings who said in a statement that two former players with the franchise were on board the plane. The tragedy even reached Florida, where the NHL's Panthers mourned the loss of three former players.

The plane was carrying members of the Continental Hockey League team for a game in the Belarussian capital Minsk when it crashed at Tunoshna, outside Yaroslavl, 250km north of Moscow.

One of the survivors was Lokomotiv offenseman Alexander Galimov, who hospital doctors said was in a critical condition with burns over 90 percent of his body.

Lokomotiv's squad includes players and coaches from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany and Canada. Czech players Jan Marek, Karel Rachunek and Josef Vasicek, all members of the national team that won the world championship six times since 1996, had died.

The Slovak foreign ministry said Pavol Demitra, one of their country's top talents, had been on the passenger list and that there had been only one Slovak victim.

Officials also said Lokomotiv's Swedish goaltender Stefan Liv and German international defenseman Robert Dietrich had died.

Lokomotiv's coach, Canadian Brad McCrimmon, was also on the passenger list issued by Russian authorities.

McCrimmon had only joined the Russian club in May after working in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings.