Man named Kucherov dies in arena collapse at future site of 2023 World Championship

A tragic incident took place on Friday morning as the roof and walls of an arena in Russia have collapsed during demolition, resulting in the death of one worker.

The report was first made public from  Fontanka.ru who revealed that officials in Russian recovered the body of 29-year-old Matvey Kucherov, who was cutting cables atop the Saint Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex when the collapse occurred. 

Kucherov reportedly attempted to make his way back to the crane that had lifted he and another worker atop the roof when the collapse occurs.

We do not know if Matvey Kucherov is related to Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov. 

The demolition started as the site was set to become the home of a state-of-the-art arena for KHL club SKA Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg was awarded the 2023 World Championship in May 2019, with the new arena among the deciding factors in the winning bid.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Kucherov family at this difficult time.