Belarusian hockey player, former Penguins forward
April 17, 1981 – March 18, 2024
MIAMI — Former Belarusian hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, who was coaching in the KHL, died Monday in Florida, police said Tuesday. He was 42.
Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome confirmed Mr. Koltsov’s death in a statement sent to The Associated Press. Police said the death was an apparent suicide. No foul play was suspected.
Mr. Koltsov, the Penguins’ first-round draft pick in 1999, played for the Pens in parts of three seasons (2002-03, ’03-’04. ’05-’06). In 144 career games, he had 12 goals and 26 assists. He played in all 82 games for the Penguins in 2003-04.
The Penguins in a statement extended condolences to Mr. Koltsov’s family and friends. The team noted that he was a teammate with Mario Lemieux in his final season and Sidney Crosby in his first, in 2005-06.
Mr. Koltsov served as an assistant coach for Salavat Yulaev Ufa the past two seasons. He also was an assistant on staff for the Belarusian men’s national team.
National team coach Dmitry Baskov called Mr. Koltsov’s death “an irreparable loss.”
“Konstantin was one of the undisputable leaders of our team, a talented progressive coach, a bright player,” Mr. Baskov said in a statement.
“He was an example of sturdiness, hard work, dedication and an idol for many Belarusian boys and his colleagues. It’s hard and unfair when such people leave so early.”
Mr. Koltsov played most of his career in the Russian Superleague, which morphed into the KHL, finishing with Dynamo Minsk in 2015-16 and going into coaching. Salavat Yulaev Ufa expressed sorrow for the death of Mr. Koltsov, who won a Gagarin Cup championship with the club as a player in 2010-11.
“He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans,” the team said in a statement. “(Koltsov) forever wrote himself into the history of our club.”
Mr. Koltsov had been dating second-ranked women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who was scheduled to play in the Miami Open tournament that began Tuesday. Messages sent to Ms. Sabalenka’s publicist and tournament officials seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Ms. Sabalenka is a 25-yearold also from Belarus who won the Australian Open in January for her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park. She was featured during the Netflix docuseries “Break Point,” speaking emotionally about the death of her father when he was in his early 40s.
Konstantin was one of the undisputable leaders of our team, a talented progressive coach, a bright player.” Dmitry Baskov Belarusian national team coach