Tony DeAngelo has officially left the NHL. On Monday, the controversial defenseman signed a one-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL, marking his move to Russia’s second-largest city alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov.
The 28-year-old defenseman registered 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 31 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, and added two points (0 goals, 2 assists) in 9 playoff games.
“I signed a one-year contract with SKA,” DeAngelo said, according to Match TV and translated via Google Translate. “I am very happy to be here. My first impression is that I like everything.”
“I have some familiar guys on the team. I’ll be happy to watch the SKA-Avangard game tonight.”
In a video recorded for the team, DeAngelo also mentioned, “Last year, I played with Kuzy, so nice to be familiar with a couple of guys. Makes it a little bit easier.”
SKA’s head coach, Roman Rotenberg, celebrated the signing by sharing a clip from the film The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia on social media.
Rotenberg further explained in an interview, “We had Artem Zemchenok get a serious injury, like Yegor Yakovlev [from Metallurg] had. In this situation, DeAngelo comes in place of Zemchenok.”
Regarding what drew DeAngelo to SKA, Rotenberg said, “In Leningrad Oblast, we offered Tony borscht and lard. The quality of the food also influenced the decision. Our chef prepared the most delicious borscht for our guest with emotion and passion, so he made a positive decision.”
DeAngelo’s move to Russia follows a period where it seemed his opportunities in North America were running out.
During his junior hockey career, he was suspended twice for violating the Abuse/Diversity policy. In the AHL, he was healthy-scratched for eight games by the Syracuse Crunch due to rumored behavioral issues.
While playing for the Arizona Coyotes, he was suspended three games by the NHL for physically assaulting a referee. His time with the New York Rangers ended when he was released after starting a fight with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
“Coming down the tunnel, I yelled at Georgi, ‘Make a f—-ing save,’” DeAngelo recalled after a loss to the Penguins. “So, if I didn’t yell at Georgi, Georgi wasn’t gonna turn around and try to do anything. That’s a fact. Obviously, I started it. I wasn’t thinking what happened next was gonna happen, that was a surprise to me.”
DeAngelo explained that Georgiev then head-butted him, with their goalie mask colliding with his player visor, causing a bloody injury. In retaliation, DeAngelo struck the netminder’s helmet with his stick before teammates intervened to break up the altercation.
On social media, DeAngelo also expressed skepticism about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite over a million American deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
He later joined Parler, a conservative social media platform, following the ban of former president Donald Trump from Twitter in the wake of the U.S. Capitol insurrection. DeAngelo later clarified in a press conference that he did not support the insurrection.
Currently, SKA sits fifth in the KHL’s Western Conference with 9 points from 7 games.
