Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko is taking a leave of absence from the team following the death of his father, Alexander Kuzmenko, 62. Alexander was killed in a bear attack while on a fishing trip in Siberia on Tuesday, per ESPN and other outlets. The attack occurred in Tuva, a landlocked region in southern Siberia, where he was with a group of six others, according to reporting.
Kuzmenko skated with the team at Thursday morning's practice before departing to his native Russia, per Pro Hockey Rumors. Russian media outlet REN TV was first to report the death. One outlet reported that Alexander suffered injuries to his head and face in the attack.
The 30-year-old Andrei Kuzmenko signed a one-year contract worth $5 million with the Penguins on July 1st and was with the team during training camp when the incident occurred. His father was a well-known hockey coach in Russia, per reporting.