Ex-NHL player Konstantin Koltsov dies aged 42
The boyfriend of two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, former ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, has died at the age of 42.
The Belarusian played for his national team in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 and 2006.
Sabalenka is in Miami preparing for the upcoming Miami Open, where the 25-year-old is seeded second, and Koltsov is thought to have joined her in Florida ahead of his shock passing.
The former professional athlete’s death was confirmed on social messaging site Telegram via the account of his former club Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
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‘It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,’ the Russian club’s statement read.
Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in 2021 and he regularly appeared on her Instagram
‘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.
‘Koltsov won the Russian Championship and the Gagarin Cup as part of Salavat Yulaev, and did a great job on the team’s coaching staff.
Belarusian media reported that the 42-year-old died of a ‘detached blood clot’, and shared pictures of fans arriving with floral tributes and candles to a memorial for the player outside their home ground, the Ufa Arena.
The Belarusian Hockey Federation also shared a statement upon Koltsov’s passing, writing: ‘The Belarusian Hockey Federation expresses its deepest condolences to his family, friends, and everyone who knew and worked with Konstantin Evgenievich.’
On Monday, Russian agency Winners Hockey Agency reported via their Telegram channel that Koltsov would not be renewing his contract with Salavat Yulaev after two years working under head coach Viktor Kozlov.
The death of the world number two’s partner comes just five years after the player lost her father Sergey following his sudden death at 43. Like Koltsov, Sabalenka’s father had also played professional ice hockey.
After winning her second Australian Open title in January, Sabalenka achieved a feat she had previously discussed on an episode of Netflix’s tennis docu-series Break Point.
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‘We had one dream: that before 25, I will win a couple of Grand Slams,’ the then-24-year-old said.
‘Now I’m 24 and there is zero in my pocket’.
On International Women’s Day, Koltsov shared a gallery of pictures of Sabalenka, devoted to the tennis star, with the caption: ‘Happy holiday, my love, I love you madly’.