Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko is taking a leave of absence after his father was killed by a bear during a remote fishing trip in southern Siberia.
Daily Caller reporting said the 30-year-old NHL forward practiced with Pittsburgh on the morning the team learned of the death, then left for Moscow that afternoon to be with his family.
General Manager Kyle Dubas confirmed the leave and asked the public to give the family space while they grieve.
Alexander Kuzmenko, 62, was on a fishing trip in Russia’s Tuva Republic when a bear came out of a wooded area and bit him in the head, causing extensive tissue damage. Six other people were with him. They drove the animal off, but thick forest delayed an ambulance for hours. He was airlifted to a hospital in Kyzyl, the regional capital, where medical help failed and he was pronounced dead.
Fox News reported the attack happened along the Bolshoy Yenisey River in a remote stretch of the Tuva Republic. The group was fishing in an area officials had already flagged for dangerous bear activity.
Tuva authorities had barred fishing and campfires there starting Sept. 10 because bears were more active than usual. They tightened the rules again on Sept. 17. The Republic of Tuva’s State Committee for Hunting Supervision said the party still went into that restricted wilderness anyway.
That detail matters. Remote Siberia is unforgiving country. When wildlife officials close ground and ban fires, it is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It is a warning that large predators are moving through the same river corridors people use to fish.
Alexander did not survive the decision to press on.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas addressed the loss in a team statement.
Dubas said:
“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander. Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.”
He added that Andrei chose to stay with teammates for morning practice before flying home.
Dubas continued:
“Andrei chose to be surrounded by his teammates and practice with the team this morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family this afternoon. Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”
Russian outlet Ren.tv, cited through ESPN in the same coverage, described Alexander as an admired hockey coach in Russia who helped shape his son’s path and worked with other pros. The Athletic also posted that the Penguins confirmed the father was killed in a bear attack on a fishing trip in Russia.
The club did not say how long Andrei will be away. No terms of the leave were released. No further medical detail beyond the head injuries and failed treatment has been made public by Russian authorities in the available accounts.
Weekday references in the coverage also do not fully line up. Team material tied the death to Thursday, while an Athletic post referenced Wednesday. The exact calendar date and hour of the attack were not pinned down beyond those relative markers and the late-night Sept. 25, 2026 publication window on the primary report.
What is clear is the sequence after the mauling: companions scared the bear away, help was slow through dense woods, an airlift followed, and Alexander was pronounced dead in Kyzyl. Andrei then put family first, practiced once with his teammates, and left Pittsburgh for Moscow the same day.
Hockey will wait. A son burying his father will not.
Officials post warnings for a reason, and wilderness still punishes the ones who treat those lines as optional.
