- Andrei Kuzmenko is taking a leave of absence from the Penguins after his father, Alexander, died this week
- Alexander Kuzmenko was killed in a bear attack while on a fishing trip in southern Siberia
- Read below for Kyle Dubas’ full statement and where Kuzmenko goes from here
Andrei Kuzmenko is dealing with a tragedy no hockey story should have to cover.
The Penguins forward is taking a leave of absence from the team after his father, Alexander, was killed in a bear attack this week in Russia.
Alexander Kuzmenko, 62, was on a fishing trip Tuesday in Russia’s Tuva Republic when a bear came out of the woods and bit him in the head, according to Russian outlet Ren.tv. The six people with him drove the bear off and got him airlifted to a hospital in Kyzyl, but doctors couldn’t save him.
Alexander was a respected hockey coach in Russia in his own right.
Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas addressed the loss in a statement Thursday, explaining how the organization is supporting Kuzmenko through it.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened, this morning, to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander,” Dubas said. “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.”
The team posted Dubas’ full statement on X:
Kuzmenko skated with his teammates Thursday morning before heading back to Moscow that afternoon. Dubas explained why he chose to stay for the morning skate first.
“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,” Dubas said. “Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”
We passed along our own thoughts to the Kuzmenko family on X Thursday afternoon:
Kuzmenko signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Pittsburgh on July 1, coming off a season with the Kings that ended early due to knee surgery. He put up 25 points in 52 games for Los Angeles last year and has 182 points in 271 career NHL games across stops with Vancouver, Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
He appeared in one preseason game for the Penguins, picking up an assist. Pittsburgh hosts Columbus on Thursday night and opens the regular season Sept. 30 against Philadelphia.
Our thoughts are with Andrei Kuzmenko and his family.
