Pittsburgh Penguins player Andrei Kuzmenko returned to the team on Friday after taking some time in the wake of his father’s tragic death in a bear attack last month in Siberia.
Now, the 30-year-old, who is in his first season with the Penguins, has decided to honor his father, Alexander, by switching his jersey number.
Kuzmenko addressed the media at the team’s practice facility ahead of Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
An impressively composed Kuzmenko, given the circumstances, told the media that he wanted to speak to them because he understood that reporters have a job to do.
From there, he explained the circumstances of his father’s death, which .
“My father go permit fishing with friends, and he stayed in the water,” he said. “And bear (stand) behind him and attack. And my father fight (the) bear one hour, 10 minutes and he still lived after two days.”
He also thanked everyone for the support he received in the wake of the tragedy.
As for his sweater number, Kuzmenko had worn No. 96 in all of his previous NHL stops with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings.
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Upon signing with the Penguins, Kuzmenko was preparing to use No. 10.
Now, he will wear No. 62, which, according to the Associated Press, carries a lot of personal significance.
His late father was 62 years old at the time of his death, while his mother was born in 1962.
Kuzmenko spent time in the KHL before arriving in the NHL ahead of the 2022-23 season, and has gone on to play in 271 games. In that time, he has racked up 182 points (85G, 97A).
