ANDREI KUZMENKO STEPS AWAY FROM PENGUINS AFTER FATHER KILLED BY BEAR

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team after his father, Alexander Kuzmenko, was killed in a bear attack in the Tuva region of Siberia, Russian broadcaster REN TV reported. Alexander Kuzmenko, a well-known hockey coach in Russia, was on a fishing trip with a group in the region, near Russia's southern border with Mongolia, when a bear attacked him on Tuesday, according to REN TV. He was airlifted to hospital with severe facial injuries and was pronounced dead on Wednesday. Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement on Thursday that the organisation was "deeply saddened" to learn of the death. Dubas said Andrei Kuzmenko chose to train with his teammates on Thursday morning before returning to Moscow that afternoon to be with his family. He added that the Kuzmenko family had the organisation's full support.

REN TV reported that ambulances were delayed reaching the group because they were in a densely forested area along the Krasnaya River, and that the party travelled down the river for four hours before an ambulance could locate them. The broadcaster said the forested area had previously been restricted because of bear activity. REN TV also reported that at least 15 people have been killed in bear attacks across Russia this year. Kuzmenko signed a one-year deal with the Penguins in July. He began his career with CSKA Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League before making his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022. He also played for the Calgary Flames, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings before joining Pittsburgh.

The Penguins said Andrei Kuzmenko's privacy, and that of his family, should be respected at this time, and gave no timetable for his return to the team. Dubas said the organisation's thoughts and sympathies remained with the Kuzmenko family as they grieve. REN TV was the first outlet to report Alexander Kuzmenko's death. Full details of how the group came to encounter the bear have not been confirmed. No further statement on Andrei Kuzmenko's playing status has been issued.