Andrei Kuzmenko leaves Penguins to join family after father dies in bear attack

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team following the death of his father, Alexander, in a bear attack in Siberia, the Guardian reported on Thursday. The club said the player had practised with his teammates that morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family. Alexander Kuzmenko was 62 and was known in Russia for his work as a hockey coach.

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Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas confirmed the bereavement in a statement quoted by the Guardian. He said the organisation was saddened by the news and offered its condolences to the family. Dubas also asked for their privacy to be respected and said Andrei and his relatives had the club's full support. The statement described the morning's practice as Andrei's choice to spend time with his teammates before leaving.

Details of the attack came from Russian broadcaster REN TV, which the Guardian credited with first reporting Alexander Kuzmenko's death. According to that account, he was fishing with a group on Tuesday in Tuva, a Siberian region near Russia's border with Mongolia, when they encountered a bear. The broadcaster reported that the animal attacked him during the trip.

Reaching medical assistance was reportedly complicated by the group's location in dense forest beside the Krasnaya River. REN TV said they travelled along the river for four hours before an ambulance could find them. Alexander Kuzmenko was then flown to hospital with severe facial injuries and was pronounced dead on Wednesday, according to the account carried by the Guardian.

REN TV also reported that access to the forested area had previously been restricted because of bear activity. That detail, like the circumstances of the attack and rescue, was attributed to the broadcaster in the Guardian's coverage. The Penguins' statement focused on the family's loss and the support being offered to their player.

Andrei Kuzmenko, 30, joined Pittsburgh in July. He previously played for CSKA Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League before making his NHL debut with Vancouver in 2022. Spells with Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles followed before his move to the Penguins. The Guardian listed his NHL record at 85 goals and 97 assists across 271 appearances.