I’m sure Pittsburgh baseball fans fondly remember that Pirates game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 when former infielder Rodolfo Castro’s cellphone popped out of his back pocket while he was sliding into third base.
Well, a Russian hockey player just said, “Rodolfo, hold my beer.”
Or, perhaps better said, “Rodolfo, hold my borscht.”
As discovered at HockeyNewsHub, Nikita Dynyak of Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL actually lost his cellphone on the ice during a shift.
That’s a first ????
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 6, 2025
Nikita Dynyak's phone comes flying out of his equipment mid game????
????: @HockeyNewsHub pic.twitter.com/vkUPIJqabZ
At least Castro had his phone in the back pocket of his pants. So, what was Dynyak’s explanation?
The guys at Spittin’ Chiclets found an interview with Dynyak after the game with full subtitles. The 27-year-old forward insists that he accidentally knocked the phone into his pants while pulling his elbow pads off the top of his stall and didn’t even realize the phone was wedged in his equipment.
He called the incident a “very funny situation” and expressed remorse for any embarrassment he may have caused his team or the league.
Nikita Dynyak explains why his phone was in his equipment ???? pic.twitter.com/eGRTxvMZWv
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 6, 2025
Via the Toronto Sun, Dynyak’s team lost their game against Avangard Omsk, 3-1, with former NHL No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov scoring the game-winning goal. Former NHL coach Guy Boucher is now the coach for Avangard. He lobbied for a penalty on the grounds of an equipment violation, but the officials, um, ignored his call.
Hockey News Hub discovered that Dynyak is now planning a cellphone case giveaway for fans in his honor.
Ak Bars are doing a giveaway now with a team branded iPhone 15 Pro case with Nikita Dynyak's autograph. ????
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) January 6, 2025
???? HC Ak Bars pic.twitter.com/5DGRQfOGVv
The Sun added that Dynyak would not face any league punishment. The KHL stated that “there was no violation of the league’s rules.”
Castro served a one-game suspension and a fine for his incident.
“Rodolfo, can you hear me now?”
Sorry.
“Rodolfo, ty menya seychas slyshish’?”
