In a recent interview, former Vancouver Canuck and current Calgary Flame Andrei Kuzmenko shared a hair-raising experience as we approach the Halloween season. As Kuzmenko recalls, his eerie encounter happened during his early hockey days in Russia. While playing in the second league, Kuzmenko and his team were accustomed to staying in various hotels. One night, while he was sleeping alone in his room, he experienced something chilling.
“I was sleeping alone,” Kuzmenko recounted, “But at night, I know what happened. I stand up, and I see the chair with one girl looking at me. And a little son down on the door.” Though it sounds like the setup for a horror movie, Kuzmenko insists this was no dream.
“For me, it was so scary,” he said, noting it was the first time he’d seen anything like it. He went on to describe his panic, saying he “didn’t sleep” after that encounter. To make things even spookier, his girlfriend later confessed to seeing the same apparitions—a mysterious woman and her child — intensifying his unease.
This ghostly experience, Kuzmenko admits, was one he’d never shake off, saying it left him in a “big panic.” As today is Halloween, Kuzmenko’s tale is the perfect blend of spooky season and hockey lore, a rare moment when the supernatural slipped into the world of sports.
In his current role with the Calgary Flames, Kuzmenko is more focused on defending against opposing players than unseen spirits — even if his defensive issues were the reason for the misfit with the Canucks. But fans in Vancouver haven’t forgotten him, as his time on the Canucks was marked by highlight-reel goals after he potted 39 in his first NHL season. Known for his playful personality, Kuzmenko seemed the least likely person to share a ghost story. Still, his tale brings an unexpected chill to hockey season, perhaps leaving fans wondering if Canada’s rinks and locker rooms might hide a ghost or two.
So, with Halloween here, Kuzmenko’s story is just the trick (or treat) hockey fans needed, proving that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t a puck to the face — it’s waking up to find a ghost in your hotel room.