- Evgeny Kuznetsov posted a photo with Gary Bettman from Game 1 in Raleigh on Tuesday
- Kuznetsov captioned the Instagram post: “Grandpa asked for a photo, I couldn’t say no”
- Read below for the backstory and Bettman’s “reports of my demise” line from earlier the same day
Evgeny Kuznetsov took a little shot at NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday night.
The former Capitals and Hurricanes center showed up at Lenovo Center for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between Carolina and Vegas, ran into Bettman, and grabbed a photo with him for Instagram. He added a caption in Russian that landed harder than any selfie tag should:
“Grandpa asked for a photo, I couldn’t say no!” Kuznetsov wrote, per a translation shared by RMNB.
It lands harder because of when he posted it. Hours earlier, Bettman held his annual state of the league address ahead of the Cup Final and got hit with retirement questions on his 74th birthday, after reports surfaced that morning of an active succession plan with the Board of Governors’ executive committee.
Bettman’s response was vintage:
He admitted he can’t do the job forever, but said nothing is happening imminently. Bettman has run the league for more than three decades and noted that a real succession conversation has been ongoing for a couple of years.
The “Grandpa” jab has some history. Kuznetsov was called into Bettman’s office in 2019 for an in-person hearing that ended in a three-game suspension for “inappropriate conduct.” On a 2023 appearance with the Russian outlet Slippery Ice, Kuznetsov compared the meeting to a “moral teaching” from a father figure, so the “Grandpa” label reads like a long-running inside joke he finally got to land in public.
Kuznetsov hasn’t played in the NHL since 2023-24, when Washington dealt him to Carolina at the deadline. Last week he showed up in Montreal for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final to support former SKA St. Petersburg teammate Ivan Demidov. Now he’s back in Raleigh as a fan, watching the Hurricanes chase the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 2006.
A viral moment and a free league ad rolled into one. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t suited up in two years.
