The Penguins announced Thursday that Alexander Kuzmenko, father of forward Andrei, had died; Russian outlet Sport 24 reported a bear attacked his fishing party in Siberia and bit him in the face. Andrei will return to Moscow to be with family.
Sport 24 reported that 62-year-old Alexander was fishing with six others on the Bolshoy Yenisei River. The group took him by boat to a nearby village, then he was airlifted to a hospital, where he died in intensive care.
General manager Kyle Dubas said Andrei chose to practice with the team and be with his teammates that morning before returning to Moscow that afternoon. Dubas said the Penguins organization fully supported Andrei and his family.
