Thrashers recall 48-year-old Chris Chelios (AP)
AP - The Atlanta Thrashers have a newcomer in 48-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios, an 11-time All-Star.
Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old athlete who died in a high-speed luge crash on Friday, was remembered last night during the 2010 Winter Games' opening ceremony in Vancouver, and "The Insider" has details on the ensuing death investigation. The deadly crash occurred during a training session at the Whistler Sliding Centre yesterday morning. Kumaritashvili was taking a curve in the track and traveling close to 90 mph when he collided with an unpadded steel support pole, says the Associated Press. Luge officials have delayed the reopening of the track. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games tells "The Insider" the investigation on Kumaritashvili’s cause of death is being led by the Coroners Service of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A second investigation is underway by the Federation International de Luge. Meanwhile, the Olympics paid tribute to the late slider from the republic of Georgia last night during the Winter Games' opening ceremony, with flags lowered to half mast and Kumaritashvili's teammates wearing black armbands and scarves in memory of him. "May you carry his Olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his spirit in your heart," Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong told the athletes on hand, says the AP. Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, skiing great Nancy Greene and NBA all-star Steve Nash also took part in the opening ceremony.
[Read full story on The Insider]
