Warning: This story contains details about alleged sexual abuse.
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin is one of hockey’s most dynamic players, a 6-foot tour de force whose goal-scoring exploits and play-making acumen has made him a hit since he traded the KHL for the NHL back in 2015-16.
With another point-per-game season under his belt — his eighth in as many seasons — the former Calder Trophy winner and four-time All-Star is certainly one of the biggest names in the sport.
But on Thursday, he made headlines for an entirely different reason. Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the Rangers, paid financial settlements to a former team employee after she alleged that New York’s leading scorer sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2023, according to The Athletic.
Here’s what you need to know.
Artemi Panarin lawsuit, explained
A former Rangers employee filed a lawsuit against Panarin, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in December 2023. The incident reportedly occurred during a Rangers road trip when Panarin — in the midst of a 49-goal, 120-point campaign that saw him finish fifth in Hart Trophy voting — allegedly took the employee’s phone during a postgame gathering at a hotel.
Panarin allegedly vowed to return to the phone only if the employee went into his hotel room. When she entered his room in an attempt to retrieve the device, Panarin pinned her on the bed. The employee subsequently pushed him off of her, recovered her phone and exited the room.
There’s no record of the woman reporting the incident to law enforcement and she did not immediately notify the team of Panarin’s alleged assault.
About three months after the incident took place, the employee detailed her experience with Panarin. The woman, whose challenges with aerophobia — a fear of flying — were well-known, reportedly shared her anti-anxiety medication with a Rangers player living with the same issue. She was swiftly placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation, a punishment deemed unusual by at least one person who worked for the organization at the time the woman was removed from the staff.
The woman officially left the organization in Aug. 2024, having reached an agreement with Panarin and MSG Sports.
Artemi Panarin settlement
The terms of Panarin and MSG Sports’ settlements haven’t been made public. But The Athletic reported that the agreements feature both a non-disclosure clause as well as no admission of wrongdoing.
“The matter has been resolved,” the woman told The Athletic.
Neither the NHL nor the Rangers revealed whether Panarin was disciplined for his alleged involvement in the incident.
“The Club retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation, which the League was fully apprised of,” The NHL wrote in an email. “We consider the matter closed.”
In Feb. 2021, Panarin took a leave of absence from New York for “personal reasons” after a Russian newspaper printed claims that the then-29-year-old was involved in a physical altercation with a woman in Latvia back in 2011.
The Rangers issued a stern statement denying the claims, calling them an “intimidation tactic” used against Panarin after the forward lent support to former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Instagram post.
Panarin, 33, was recently named the Rangers’ team MVP for the 2024-25 season. He recorded his seventh 80-point season this year, leading Peter Laviolette’s side in goals, assists and points.
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