Alex Galchenyuk signs KHL contract weeks after threatening police
In the span of a month and a half, Alex Galchenyuk has signed two professional hockey contracts with a highly publicized arrest sandwiched in between.
The 29-year-old forward, who was cut from the Arizona Coyotes in mid-July after he threatened to two police officers during an arrest, signed a two-year deal with SKA Saint Petersburg in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.
The club confirmed the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
At the time of his arrest, Galchenyuk was reportedly intoxicated and had been involved in a single-vehicle accident when he threatened to have one officer and their family killed through his connections in Moscow, and he reportedly used racial slurs with another officer.
The former No. 3 overall pick issued an apology to the officers and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor threatening charge on Aug. 21 while five other charges, including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, were dismissed.
Galchenyuk was sentenced to 30 days in jail, although he only has to serve 29 after being credited for one day that he spent in detention. He can have 27 days knocked off his sentence if he successfully completes an alcohol recovery program and completes a 12-month period of not consuming or possessing any alcohol.
“I am beyond embarrassed and disappointed with myself and I feel awful for everyone I have let down,” Galchenyuk said in a statement. “My family was counting on me to be better, the Coyotes and the amazing Coyotes fans deserve better and the brave police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe deserve better. I let them all down with my despicable and disrespectful behavior after drinking alcohol.”
Galchenyuk is an 11-year NHL veteran with 146 career goals and 354 points. He’s played for the Montreal Canadiens, Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.
SKA Saint Petersburg has lost in the KHL conference final each of the last five seasons. The team last won the Gagarin Cup (the KHL version of the Stanley Cup) during the 2016-17 season, and it’s owned by Russian state-controlled energy corporation Gazprom.
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