Evgeny Kuznetsov started his Sibir Novosibirsk career with a bang — and some flapping.
Kuznetsov scored in the second period of Friday’s game against Ak Bars Kazan, doing his trademark bird celebration after recording his milestone 100th career KHL goal, regular season and playoffs combined.
But there was also some typical Kuzy turbulence, too; his coach said his star center was battling rotavirus and broke one of his skate blades during the game, leaving him to wear a teammate’s.
Kuznetsov was also captured by the KHL having a conversation with an official on ref cam — something Kuzy was apparently hoping to avoid.
Translated KHL video
As Kuznetsov was asked by referee Anton Gofman about an earlier net-front collision — “I was told not to talk to you guys” — he argued that Ak Bars forward Alexey Byvaltsev had pushed him into goaltender Maxim Arefyev. He then repositioned himself during the conversation saying, “Let me stand off to the side so they can’t see us,” attempting to hide their conversation from view.
This was not the first time Kuznetsov has tried to evade the KHL feature during a game.
When Kuznetsov was a member of SKA Saint Petersburg, he took three minors in the first nine minutes of a game against Spartak on Oct. 25, 2024, including an extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after protesting a call. The KHL’s ref-cam episode included the fallout from that sequence, including Kuznetsov asking the official, “Can I talk to you without the camera?”
The official and Kuzy then had a private conversation during the first intermission. Kuznetsov, who scored in the second period, gave the referee respect and thanked him for the chat after the game.
Part of the reason Kuznetsov may want to avoid ref cam is due to the near-constant scrutiny and coverage he receives back in his home country. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion was quoted after Friday’s shootout loss that he was considering getting rid of his smart phone and made note of blame he’s received from previous teams.
