Four of Artemi Panarin’s former teammates told The Post that he considers the assault allegations brought against the Rangers star by his KHL coach to be unbelievable and none of them can remember the incident.
The accusations, broadcast on Monday to a Russian tabloid by Vityaz’s former coach, Andrei Nazarov, forced Panarin to leave the NHL. All four players were teammates with the extreme under Nazarov, who claims that Panarin beat an 18-year-old girl while partying at a hotel bar in Riga, Latvia, following a loss at 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 sincere beliefs about Putin’s regime. In addition, Nazarov once called for the closure of foreign players who criticize Russia.
Jon Mirasty, contacted by telephone on Tuesday afternoon, said that the accusations of his former coach seem “really fish” and that he has never heard noises about such an incident.
“[Panarin] he was a wonderful child, I only have beautiful things to say about him, so when I heard that, I said to myself, “Oh, that doesn’t sound like him,” Mirasty, a Canadian wing, told The Post. “And I’m pretty sure I would have heard something like that, you know, being one of the older veteran players there.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing, so I was a little surprised. Obviously, I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but if you guess, [it didn’t happen]. And why does it appear 10 years later? ”
Mirasty said he had a lot of respect for Nazarov, given that he played 16-season roles in the NHL (with Sharks, Lightning, Flames, Ducks, Coyotes and Wild) and was a well-established coach in the KHL.
“He treated me well, he was obviously a tough guy and then he played in the NHL,” 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 all Canadian boys and we didn’t speak a word of Russian.
“We really connected with him because he spoke pretty good English and I don’t have anything bad to say about him. That’s why, for me, everything is really shocking “.
However, Mirasty questioned the timing of the allegations and noted that he had seen Panarin speak publicly against the Putin regime. Panarin showed support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Instagram post last month.
“I don’t even think Panarin could beat a girl,” Mirasty said. “He was a small, weak child and he always smiled, making people laugh and he was a hockey player. It just doesn’t add to me. ”
Arrived by Facebook messenger on Tuesday afternoon, Kip Brennan, a Canadian who played briefly for the island, also said that he knows nothing about Panarin’s involvement in a physical altercation with a woman during the season in which they played together. .
“I didn’t know and never heard of anything like this,” Brennan told The Post, who spent five seasons in the NHL and played three games for the Islanders in 2007-08.
“He was a great guy, he was hilarious in the locker room. He always worked in English with the boys from North America and was a very talented young player. ”
Two other former teammates, who asked to remain anonymous, agreed with Mirasty and Brennan’s positions on the situation.
“I only know Artemi as a very happy and funny guy,” said one. “I always had a smile on my face and I was a good teammate.”