Father of Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko dies after bear attack in remote Siberia

Alexander Kuzmenko, a longtime hockey coach who helped shape his son Andrei Kuzmenko’s NHL career, was killed after a bear attacked him during a fishing excursion on the Bolshoy Yenisey River in Russia’s Republic of Tuva. He and six others traveled by boat upstream, set up a camp on the riverbank in the remote Todzhinsky district, and were warned that the region had been placed under restrictions because of increased bear sightings.

The animal rushed from the forest, inflicting severe head and facial injuries; the group managed to repel it and provide emergency care. Kuzmenko was ferried to the village of Toora-Khem and then flown to Kyzyl’s intensive-care unit, where he succumbed to his wounds. Regional officials said the party entered the prohibited zone despite the bans issued on September 10 and expanded on September 17. No comment has been made by Andrei Kuzmenko or the Pittsburgh Penguins.