Kathy Willens/Associated Press
New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since taking personal leave from the NHL team on Feb. 22.
ESPN s Emily Kaplan reported Panarin stepped away from the club indefinitely after Andrei Nazarov, his former coach with the KHL s Chekhov Vityaz, alleged he was involved in a physical altercation with a woman in Latvia a decade ago.
The Rangers described the allegation as clearly an intimidation tactic being used against [Panarin] for being outspoken on recent political events in his native Russia.
The KHL said it received no information about an incident involving Panarin as described by Nazarov and the NHL hasn t acted on the allegation because of the lack of corroborating evidence, per Kaplan.
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, 29, takes leave as his former coach in Russia claims he beat a woman, 18, in 2011 - but the NHL star says he s being targeted for criticizing Putin s Kremlin
New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence after a coach in his native Russia accused him of beating an 18-year-old woman in 2011
Panarin denies the claim, saying he s being targeted for criticizing Vladimir Putin
Ex-NHL player and current Russian league (KHL) coach Andrei Nazarov said that Panarin physically assaulted the woman in the Latvian capital of Riga in 2011
A known Putin supporter, Nazarov now coaches Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, but previously worked with Panarin with the Moscow-area team, Vitayz, in 2011