Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 3

Penguins' Andrei Kuzmenko Switches to No. 62 After Father, 62, Died in Bear Attack

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 3

Penguins' Andrei Kuzmenko Switches to No. 62 After Father, 62, Died in Bear Attack

Q: How did a tragic Siberian bear attack prompt an NHL star to completely change his identity on the ice?

The bear attack that killed Andrei Kuzmenko’s father led him to remake a visible part of his on-ice identity: his jersey number. After returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins following leave for his father Alexander’s funeral in Moscow, Kuzmenko said he wanted to honor his father by switching to No. 62. He explained that 62 was his father’s age when he died, and also carries family meaning because his mother was born in 1962. In that sense, the number became a memorial tied to both parents, replacing the number he had worn through most of his NHL career. Kuzmenko told reporters his father was attacked by a bear during a fishing trip in Siberia and fought the animal for more than an hour before dying two days later. He called the death a “big shock” and said he wanted to speak publicly so the account was clear and truthful. The change is significant because Kuzmenko had already built his NHL identity around other numbers. He wore No. 96 with Vancouver, Calgary, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and had initially planned to wear No. 10 after signing with Pittsburgh. By choosing 62 instead, he turned his sweater number from a routine roster detail into a personal tribute shaped directly by his father’s death. So the tragedy did not change his playing style, but it did change the symbol he will carry every game: a new number meant to keep his father’s memory with him on the ice.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 3

Andrei Kuzmenko said Friday he will wear No. 62 for Pittsburgh instead of No. 10, dedicating the change to his late father Alexander.
Kuzmenko told reporters his father was attacked by a bear during a fishing trip in Siberia last month, fought it for about 1 hour 10 minutes and died two days later.
The 30-year-old returned to the Penguins after time away from the team and thanked supporters as he addressed the tragedy publicly ahead of Saturday's game against Montreal.
No. 62 also carries family significance beyond his father's age at death: Kuzmenko's mother was born in 1962.
Kuzmenko had worn No. 96 at his previous NHL stops and enters his first Penguins season with 182 points in 271 NHL games.