Kuznetsov Says He Struggled In Final Years With Capitals & Hurricanes To The Point Where He Didn't Want His Family Watching Him Play

The ex-Capitals center is hoping to show his family and critics what he can really do now that he's back in the KHL.

Ex-Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is coming to terms with reality and opening up as he begins a new chapter of his career overseas with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, and he admitted on Tuesday that his struggles playing in the NHL got to a point where he didn't want his family to see him play.

Kuznetsov told MatchTV that during his final season in the NHL with the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, he did not want his children to see him playing because of how much he was struggling.

"I haven't been able to make (my family) happy in the last couple of years. There were times when I didn't even want them to come to the games," Kuznetsov said, per a DeepL translation. "I wasn't comfortable having my kids see my fail, I was worried about that."

The 32-year-old admitted last week that his struggles were related to rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes pain in the joints. He said he was taking pills and getting injections to address the issue, and that he was also suffering from severe insomnia.

Kuznetsov terminated the final year of his NHL contract in order to return home to Russia, where he signed a four-year deal with SKA. Now that he's back overseas, he believes he finally has the chance to show his entire family what he can do.

"I wanted my great-grandmother, parents, wife and kids to really see me play hockey," Kuznetsov said, adding, "Now I'm putting it all on the line. I want my kids to see how dad can really play."