Sports24 September, 20262 min read
Andrei Kuzmenko Returns To Russia After Bear Kills Father Alexander In Siberia
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Kuzmenko returned to Russia after his father was killed by a bear in Tuva. He took a leave of absence from the Pittsburgh Penguins to mourn.
Bear kills Alexander
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko returned to Russia before the start of the NHL season after his father, Alexander, was killed by a bear during a fishing trip in southern Siberia. Alexander, described as a 62-year-old ice hockey coach in Russia, was attacked from the trees along the Krasnaya River, and a member of the fishing party called for an ambulance but dense forest made it difficult for emergency services to reach the area.
Kuzmenko was taken by river downstream for four hours before being airlifted to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Penguins president Kyle Dubas said the team was "deeply saddened" by the death and asked that "the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time."
Leave, then return
The Penguins took a leave of absence from the team after Alexander’s death, and Andrei practiced with the team before leaving for Moscow to be with his family. The Penguins statement quoted Kyle Dubas saying, "Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander," and the statement added, "We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time."
Ambulances were delayed because the group was in a densely forested area along the Krasnaya River, and the group traveled down the river for four hours before an ambulance could locate them. Andrei Kuzmenko was airlifted to a hospital with severe facial injuries before he was pronounced dead on Wednesday, and it said the NHL season begins on Tuesday.
Season context and support
Andrei Kuzmenko signed a one-year contract with the Penguins this summer, and the BBC said the NHL season begins on 29 September. The Penguins said Andrei chose to be surrounded by his team-mates and practice with the team before returning to Moscow to be with his family, and the team said it had "the full support of the Penguins organisation during this time."
The forested area where the group went had previously been restricted because of bear activity, and at least 15 people have been killed in bear attacks across Russia this year. Alexander Kuzmenko was killed by a bear while on a fishing trip in Tuva, a republic within Russia situated in Siberia, and the attack occurred in a remote part of the Todzhinsky District.