Kanstantsin Kaltsou

In addition to representing the national team Belarusian ice hockey player Kanstantsin Kaltsou competed in the Russian Super League (RSL), the American Hockey League (AHL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Kaltsou began his career with Junactva Minsk in the 1997–98 season in Belarus before joining the Russian team Severstal Cherepovets. In 1999 he was drafted to the NHL by the Pittsburgh Penguins and played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL in 2002–03, before playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003–04. Kaltsou returned to Russia in 2006 to play for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the RSL and the Kontinental Hockey League.

At an International level Kaltsou played at multiple editions of the Ice Hockey World Championships and two Winter Olympics (2002, 2010). At the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City the Belarusian team finished fourth after losing 7–2 to Russia in the classification match. Eight years later at the Vancouver Games the team finished ninth out of the twelve teams that competed.

In March 2024 Kaltsou was found dead at a luxury resort in Miami, Florida. The Miami police announced that his death was an apparent suicide, stating that he had jumped from a balcony. He had been dating Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka since June 2021 but the pair had split prior to Kaltsou’s death.