Penguins' Andrei Kuzmenko Switches Jersey Number to Honor Father Killed in Bear Attack

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko revealed that he changed his jersey number from No. 10 to No. 62 to honor his father, who was recently killed in a bear attack.

"My usual number is 96," Kuzmenko said Friday, via Josh Yohe of The Athletic. "I can't use it, and I understand No. 10, it's not important to me. I like it in my life and the big things. And now I understand this is my mother's birth year (of 1962) and my father, (was) 62 years (old) when he died. And today, we have (20)26 years. And I want to take 62 (as a) number."

Kuzmenko previously took a leave of absence from the team after his father was killed in a bear attack during a fishing trip in Siberia on Sept. 23.

He eventually returned to Pittsburgh's practice on Friday, as Penguins head coach Dan Muse was glad to see him back.

"He's obviously been in our thoughts here while he was away," Muse said, per Michelle Crechiolo of the team's official website. "We're really happy that he's back here – just being in the building, around his teammates, and getting to skate. It's tragic. We feel for him, his family, and thinking of them here over the past week. We're happy that he's back with his teammates."

Kuzmenko was appreciative of the support that he received on social media during his time away from the team.

"The next thing (is) about support," Kuzmenko said, via Yohe. "I want to say thank you for everyone who supported me. And I want to say thank you in the hockey world because I've seen the messages. A lot of information, everyone understands what happened because this is news and the whole word travels. And thank you (to) Russia. There's a lot of people who supported me. Thank you for everyone who supported me. And a lot of messages I see on Instagram. I'm sorry, I can't answer everyone. And I want to say thank you."

The 30-year-old is entering his fifth NHL season and his first with the Penguins, joining Pittsburgh on a one-year deal worth $5 million on July 1.

Kuzmenko suited up for the Los Angeles Kings during his 2025-26 campaign, recording 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games played.