Pittsburgh Penguins winger Andrei Kuzmenko returned to practice on Friday, wearing the number 62 jersey for the first time in his NHL career. The change is a tribute to his late father, Alexander Kuzmenko, who was 62 years old when he died in a bear attack during a fishing trip in Siberia.
Kuzmenko, 30, spoke with reporters after practice to confirm the switch from his previous number 10, which he had planned to wear with the Penguins. He explained that the number 62 holds dual significance: it was his father’s age at the time of his death and also the birth year of his mother.
According to Russian broadcaster REN TV, Alexander Kuzmenko was fishing with six friends near the Krasnaya River when a bear attacked him. The animal bit him on the head, causing severe facial injuries. The remote, forested location delayed emergency services from reaching him promptly. After the group managed to scare the bear away, Alexander was airlifted to a hospital in Kyzyl, but he did not survive.
Kuzmenko confirmed parts of this account, telling reporters that his father was in the water with a valid permit when the bear launched the attack from behind. The details of the incident underline the tragic and unusual circumstances of his father’s death.
Andrei Kuzmenko signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Penguins over the summer after an eight-year career in Russia’s KHL. He moved to the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022, then was traded to the Calgary Flames in January 2024. Later that year, he joined the Philadelphia Flyers and was subsequently acquired by the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline. The Penguins added him ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season.
The team will open their campaign against the Flyers on Wednesday night. Kuzmenko’s number change is the latest visible sign of how personal loss has affected the winger early in his time with Pittsburgh.
According to Yahoo Sports.