New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team after a Russian tabloid printed allegations from a former coach that he attacked a woman in Latvia almost a decade ago, which he denies. Panarin played for Nazarov with Vityaz Chekhov from 2010-2012. “Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story,“ the Rangers said in a statement Monday. Rangers teammate Ryan Strome praised Panarin as a person and role model for him and other young players. It’s hard to overcome losing a player like Artemi from a hockey standpoint, but we’ve got to find a way to do it.”Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: thestar February 22, 2021 18:05 UTC