Former Penguin Konstantin Koltsov Passes Away
Sadly and tragically, former Penguins forward Konstantin Koltsov has passed away. He was just 42 years old.
One of a string of European stretch picks drafted in the first round by then-Pens GM Craig Patrick in the late 1990s…Robert Dome (’97) and Milan Kraft (’98) were the others…Koltsov was selected with the 18th overall pick in 1999.
The selection was met with raised eyebrows…Koltsov had yet to display a scoring touch in the Russian League (now the KHL). However, the Belarus native and nascent breakaway threat could skate like the wind. Unfortunately, much like future black-and-gold teammate Rico Fata, his hands would never keep pace with his feet.
After skating predominantly with the Baby Pens in his first season in North America in ’02-03 save for a cup of coffee with the big club, the left-handed shooting right wing played 82 games for the Pens in ’03-04 and tallied nine goals, 20 assists and 29 points. Numbers that would prove to be his high-water mark in the NHL.
After skating with Moscow Spartak during the ’04-05 lockout season, the then 24-year-old winger returned to the Pens.