Four of Artemi Panarin’s former KHL teammates told the Post that they found the charges of assault against the Rangers star by his KHL coach difficult to believe and none of them can remember the incident.
The accusations, broadcast on Monday to a Russian tabloid by former Vityaz coach Andrei Nazarov, forced Panarin to step aside from the NHL. All four players were teammates of the winger under Nazarov, who claims that Panarin beat an 18-year-old girl while partying in a hotel bar in Riga, Latvia, after a defeat in 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 beliefs about the Putin regime. In addition, Nazarov also once asked for foreign players who criticize Russia to be arrested.
Jon Mirasty, contacted by phone on Tuesday afternoon, said his former coach’s charges seem “very doubtful” and that he had never heard of such an incident.
“[Panarin] he was a great kid, I have nothing but good things to say about him, so when I heard that, I thought, ‘Oh, that doesn’t sound like him,’ ”Mirasty, a Canadian told The Post. “And I’m pretty sure I would have heard something like that, you know, as one of the oldest and oldest players there.
“I never heard anything like it, so I was kind of impressed. I’m obviously not saying it didn’t happen, but if I was to guess, [it didn’t happen]. And why will it be released 10 years later? “
Mirasty said he had a lot of respect for Nazarov, considering he played parts for 16 seasons in the NHL (with the 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 too,” said Mirasty. “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 Canadians and didn’t speak a word in Russian.
“We really look like him because he spoke very good English and I also have nothing bad to say about him. That’s why, for me, all of this is really shocking. “
Mirasty questioned the accusations’ timeline, however, and noted that he saw Panarin speak out 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 hit a girl,” said Mirasty. “He was a skinny boy and he was always smiling, making people laugh, and he was a great hockey player. It just doesn’t suit me. “
Reached by a Facebook messenger on Tuesday afternoon, Kip Brennan, a Canadian who played briefly for the Islanders, also said he knew nothing about Panarin’s involvement in a physical fight with a woman during the season they played together.
“I didn’t know or heard that something like this happened,” said Brennan, who spent part of five seasons in the NHL and played three games for the Islanders in 2007-08, to The Post.
“He was a great guy, he was hilarious in the locker room. He always worked his English with the guys 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 views on the situation.
“I only know Artemi as a very happy and funny guy,” said one of them. “He always had a smile on his face at the rink and was a good teammate.”