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Kuzmenko Back at Penguins Practice After Father's Death

The forward returned to the ice Friday after his father's death and is expected to make his Penguins debut Saturday against Montreal.

Hockey.com

Andrei Kuzmenko was back on the ice with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, after his father died following a bear attack on a fishing trip in Russia.

The forward left the team on Sept. 24 to mourn in Russia. His father was a respected hockey coach.

"Thank you for everyone who supported me," Kuzmenko said. "I'm happy to go back to Pittsburgh. I missed everyone. I go back to reality, back to my job. And let's go, keep working. I missed hockey. And great start after first game (7-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday). I think it'll be good this season because I believe in this team."

Kuzmenko signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Penguins on July 1. He is expected to make his Penguins debut Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SNE, TVAS).

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