Father of Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko dies in bear mauling in Russia

The father of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has died in a bear attack in Russia.

Ren TV reported that Alexander Kuzmenko, a hockey coach, was mauled Sept. 23 in the Tuva region. A bear reportedly came out of the woods quickly and bit Kuzmenko. His companions were able to free him from the animal, but attempts to treat him failed.

"The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened, this morning, to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko's father, Alexander," Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said in a statement Thursday. "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.

"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."

Bear attacks in this area of the country have surged in 2026. According to Ren TV, 15 people have been attacked across four provinces, with experts blaming a poor harvest of berries and pine nuts.

Andrei Kuzmenko signed a one-year deal with the Penguins on July 1 and had just reported to Pittsburgh for training camp. The 30-year-old has 85 goals and 97 assists across four NHL seasons with the Vancouver Canucks , Calgary Flames , Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers .

Pittsburgh opens its season Sept. 30 against the Flyers.