Konstantin Koltsov, the Belarusian former pro ice hockey player and boyfriend of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, has died, Russian club Salavat Yulaev said in a statement Tuesday. He was 42.
Koltsov played for the Belarus national team in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 and 2006.
“It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,” Salavat Yulaev, which is based in the Russian city of Ufa, said in the statement.
“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.
“May he rest in peace.”
Renowned for his speed on the ice, Koltsov won the Russian Super League title with Salavat Yulaev in 2008 and more recently returned to the club as an assistant coach.
Reuters reports that Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in June 2021, according to People magazine, and the world No. 2 has frequently posted photos of them together on her Instagram account.
Koltsov also applauded Sabalenka after the Belarusian won her second consecutive Australian Open title in January.
Sabalenka lost in the last 16 at Indian Wells last week and is scheduled to play her first match at the Miami Open on Friday.
