Andrei Kuzmenko steps away from Penguins after father killed in Siberia bear attack

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team after his father, Alexander Kuzmenko, was killed in a bear attack while on a fishing trip in Tuva, Siberia this week. REN TV reported that Alexander Kuzmenko, 62, was a well-known hockey coach in Russia.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander,” team president and general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement on Thursday. “Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time. “Andrei chose to be surrounded by his teammates and practice with the team this morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family this afternoon. Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”

REN TV reported that the group was on a fishing trip on Tuesday in Tuva when they encountered a bear that attacked Alexander Kuzmenko. Ambulances were delayed reaching the party because they were in a densely forested area along the Krasnaya River, the outlet said, and the group travelled down the river for four hours before an ambulance could locate them. Kuzmenko was airlifted to a hospital with severe facial injuries and was pronounced dead on Wednesday.

The same report said the forested area had previously been restricted because of bear activity and that at least 15 people have been killed in bear attacks across Russia this year. REN TV was the source for the details about the location, the delay in emergency response and the prior restrictions.

Andrei Kuzmenko, 30, signed for the Pittsburgh Penguins in July after earlier spells in the Kontinental Hockey League with CSKA Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg. He made his NHL debut in 2022 with the Vancouver Canucks and had subsequent stints with the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings before joining Pittsburgh.

In 271 NHL appearances, Kuzmenko has 85 goals and 97 assists. After he left the Canucks in 2023, his father, mother Galina, sister Victoria and a childhood friend wrote a letter to the city’s fans thanking them for their “warm hospitality towards our son” and “for helping him grow professionally”.

The NHL season begins on Tuesday, and Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team as he returns to Moscow to be with his family.