Konstantin Koltsov, a top Belarusian hockey player who spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins before transitioning to a team in Russia for the remainder of his career, has died at the age of 42, according to Fox News.
News of Koltsov’s death was first shared by Salvat Yulaev of the Kontinental Hockey League where he had served as coach most recently.
“It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,” the team said. “He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club. May he rest in peace.”
The Penguins added their own statement on the player-coach’s passing.
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“The Penguins extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Penguins forward, Konstantin Koltsov,” the team said. “The native of Belarus was the Penguins’ first-round draft choice in 1999 and was with the team from 2003-206, playing 144 NHL games. He was a teammate of both Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux during the 2005-06 season.”
No cause of death was immediately available.
In 2021, Koltsov made public that he was in a relationship with Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka who just completed her appearance this month at the Indian Wells Open in California. She has not released a statement on her partner’s death.
Koltsov played professionally between 1997 and 2016, capping an extraordinary 19-year playing career that surpassed the average 10-year careers of his peers, according to ResearchGate. During that period, he played in the Russian Super League, the Belarusian Extraleague, and the Eastern European Hockey League while representing Belarus in the Olympics and hockey’s World Championships.
A string of young deaths have marred the world of sports this year, fueling speculation about the health and safety of athletes performing at the highest echelons of their professions. In January, Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez, an Olympic judo wrestler from Cuba, died at 34 from an unexpected heart attack. Her passing was quickly followed by news of the death of Panamanian soccer star Luis “Matador” Tejada at 41. The sports world also witnessed the heartbreaking death of 24-year-old Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya, who died in a car crash shortly after breaking the world record for the men’s marathon.