Report: Woman in Slava Voynov domestic violence case is his wife
The woman involved in the domestic violence case that led to Slava Voynov's suspension has been identified as the Los Angeles Kings defenseman's wife, Nick Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports reported on Friday afternoon.
Cotsonika said he spoke with the lawyer representing Voynov's wife, who confirmed her marital status as well as her consent to release that information.
According to the lawyer, she has not spoken to the police since being in the hospital and has not yet spoken to the NHL.
• Kings' Darryl Sutter: 'Absolutely it was appropriate' to suspend Voynov
The lawyer for Voynov's wife also said that her story will not be "radically different" from that given to Craig Renetzky, Voynov's lawyer, when he interviewed her on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
According to Yahoo Sports, after that interview Renetzky said that she had been injured, but that it was an accident and that a language barrier had caused a miscommunication between her and the police when she spoke with them at the hospital.
"You've got to keep in mind the woman was in pain," Renetzky said on Wednesday. "She had been injured. She's in a strange environment. They won't let her see her husband. She's surrounded by police that are throwing questions at her...
"I mean, that's a very different environment than when you're sitting down in a living room talking to somebody in their own language."
Renetzky also said that Voynov and his wife were together again. Cotsonika said on Friday that Voynov's wife's lawyer did not begin representing her until after the interview with Renetzky.
Voynov was suspended indefinitely on the morning of Oct. 20, several hours after his arrest for domestic violence charges. Redondo Beach, Calif., officials said that he had been released on $50,000 bond at approximately 11 a.m. ET that morning.
• Lawyer: Kings defenseman Slava Voynov 'never hit the woman'
The NHL justified the suspension by citing a section of the Collective Bargaining Agreement stating that the league may suspend a player during his criminal investigation if a failure to do so would cause "substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the league."
Voynov, 24, joined the Kings in 2011. He played all 82 games last season, helping the team to a Stanley Cup victory. In the team's first six games this season, he has recorded two assists and averaged 23 minutes of playing time.
Before last season, he signed a six-year, $25 million contract extension.
The Kings, 5-1-1 and second in the Western Conference's Pacific Division, host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday evening. Voynov's next court date is Dec. 1.
- Christopher Woody