Ex-NHL player Konstantin Koltsov, Boyfriend of WTA’s Aryna Sabalenka, Dies at 42

The former Pittsburgh Penguins winger spent much of his career playing in Russia.

Konstantin Koltsov, a former NHL and KHL hockey player who was dating tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, has died at age 42, his former Russian team, Salavat Yulaev, confirmed on Tuesday.

Koltsov’s body was found in Miami and, according to the Belarusian media outlet Telegraf, he died from a “detached blood clot.”

Koltsov was born and raised in Belarus and became the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first-round pick in the 1999 NHL draft. He played in the Russian Super League and Belarus between 1997 and ’02 before moving to America and making his Penguins’ debut during the 2002–03 season.

Between 2002 and ’06, Koltsov played 144 games for Pittsburgh over three seasons, totaling 12 goals and 26 assists as a right winger. After becoming a free agent in 2006, Koltsov returned to Russia, where he would spend the next 10 years before retiring. He also played for the Belarusian national team in two Olympics and multiple world championships. 

The Penguins posted a statement on social media mourning Koltsov’s death.

pic.twitter.com/Y9acpNvNBL

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 19, 2024

Koltsov had been dating Sabalenka, a follow Belarusian who’s the No. 2-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, since June 2021, according to People. He also had three children from a previous relationship.

Sabalenka, the back-to-back Australian Open champion, is currently set to play in the Miami Open this week.