Konstantin Koltsov

Konstantin Yevgeniyevich Koltsov (Канстанцін Яўгенавіч Кальцоў; April 17, 1981 – March 18, 2024) was a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. He played parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2002 and 2006. Internationally, Koltsov played for the Belarusian national team at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and at nine World Championships. He served as an assistant coach for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the Kontinental Hockey League as well as head coach for the Belarusian national team.

Early life
Koltsov was born on April 17, 1981, in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, USSR (present-day Belarus). He was raised there and at an early age pursued a dream to become a professional hockey player.

He was born to Alexander and Natalia Koltsov who are both parents who ensured life was smooth.

Playing career
Koltsov started playing for Junactva Minsk in the Belarusian 1st division during the 1997–98 season and moved to the Russian team Severstal Cherepovets for the next season. Due to his speed and stick handling, he was often referred to as the "Russian Rocket II" because of his similar playing style to that of Russian great Pavel Bure.

Koltsov was drafted to the NHL in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft as the Pittsburgh Penguins' first round pick, 18th overall. He played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL in the 2002–03 season and started playing full-time for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003–04 season, playing 82 games and scoring nine goals and 20 assists.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Koltsov played for the Spartak Moscow hockey team, scoring six goals in 31 games.

The following season, Koltsov moved between Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh until January, after which he stayed in the NHL until the end of the season, finishing with three goals and six assists. As a result of the Penguins not extending a qualifying offer, Koltsov became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2006. In August 2006, he returned to Russia, signing to play for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Russian Super League.

During the 2007–08 RSL season, Koltsov was part of a Salavat Yulaev Ufa squad that defeated Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to capture the RSL league title. With the absorption of the RSL into the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League at the start of the 2008–09 season, Salavat Yulaev Ufa would become the last standing RSL champion. With Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Koltsov won the Gagarin Cup throughout the 2010–11 season.

On November 27, 2016, Koltsov retired from professional hockey after competing for 18 seasons. He became an assistant for the Belarusian men's hockey team and also worked as the assistant coach of Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where he served for two seasons prior to his death.

International play
Internationally, Koltsov played on the Belarus national team in the Winter Olympics and IIHF World Championships.

Personal life and death
Koltsov had three children with his former wife, Julia. They divorced in 2020. He began publicly dating Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in June 2021. Koltsov and Sabalenka were separated at the time of his death.

Koltsov's former club Salavat Yulaev announced his death on March 18, 2024. He was 42. The Miami-Dade Police Department said it was an apparent suicide and that Koltsov had jumped from a balcony at The St. Regis Bal Harbour.

Awards and honours
Source:
 * Spartak Cup (Кубок Спартака) : 2001
 * President of Bashkortostan Republic Cup (Кубок Президента Республики Башкортостан) : 2006
 * Romazan Cup (Кубок Ромазана) : 2006
 * Polesye Cup (Кубок Полесья, Кубак Палесся) : 2007
 * Russian Super League: 2008