Four of Artemi Panarin’s former KHL teammates told The Post that they can hardly believe the assault charges against the Rangers star by his KHL coach, and none of them can remember the event.
The allegations, which were broadcast on Monday to a Russian tabloid newspaper by former Vityaz coach Andrei Nazarov, forced Panarin to step down from the NHL. All four players were teammates from the wing under Nazarov, who alleged that Panarin beat an 18-year-old girl when she was partying at a hotel bar in Riga, Latvia, after a loss to Vityaz on December 11, 2011.
Nazarov, a well-known supporter of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly criticized Panarin for the 29-year-old Russian’s outspoken belief in Putin’s rule. In addition, Nazarov also once demanded that foreign players who criticize Russia should go to jail.
Jon Mirasty, who was reached by telephone on Tuesday afternoon, says the accusations of his former coach look “very nasty” and that he has never heard of such an incident.
‘[Panarin] a wonderful child, I have nothing but nice things to say about him, and when I heard that, I was like, ‘Oh, it does not sound like him,’ ‘Mirasty, a Canadian winger, The Post said. ‘And I’m pretty sure I would have heard something like that, one of the older veteran players there.
‘I’ve never heard anything like it before, so I was a little taken aback. Of course, I’m not saying that did not happen, but if I were to guess, [it didn’t happen]. And why does it come out ten years later? ”
Mirasty said he had a lot of respect for Nazarov as he played parts of 16 seasons in the NHL (with the Sharks, Lightning, Flames, Ducks, Coyotes and Wild) and was an established coach in the KHL.
“He treated me well, he was obviously a tough guy and then also played at the NHL level,” Mirasty said. “He was always very good to us, and it was a strange year for us there, because there were very few of us who were all Canadian guys and we did not speak a word of Russian.
‘We really related to him because he spoke fairly good English and I also have nothing really bad to say about him. That’s why it’s all really shocking to me. ”
However, Mirasty questions the timeline of the allegations and notes that he has seen Panarin speak out publicly against the Putin regime. Panarin showed support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Instagram post last month.
“I do not even think Panarin can hit a girl,” Mirasty said. “He was a small, skinny kid, and he always just smiled and made people laugh, and he was a hockey player. It just does not occur to me. ”
Kip Brennan, a Canadian who played briefly for the islanders, was reached by the Facebook messenger on Tuesday afternoon and also said he knew nothing about Panarin’s involvement in a physical altercation with a woman during the season they were together. have not played.
“I did not know or hear that anything like this had ever happened,” Brennan, who spent parts of five seasons in the NHL and played three games for the Islanders in 2007-08, told The Post.
‘He was a wonderful guy, he was hilarious in the dressing room. He always worked with the North American guys on his English and was a very talented young player. ”
Two other former teammates, who requested to remain anonymous, agree with Mirasty’s and Brennan’s position on the situation.
“I only know Artemi as a very happy, funny guy,” said one. “He always had a smile on his face and was a good teammate.”