05/14/24 01:14:00
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05/14 01:12 CDT Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended for at least 6 months
an hour before Game 4 against Stars
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended for at least 6 months an hour before
Game 4 against Stars
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) --- Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for
at least six months without pay and placed in stage 3 of the league's player
assistance program before Game 4 on Monday night of a second-round series with
Dallas.
The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association
announced the news about an hour before the start of the game with the Stars.
It's the second time this season he's been in the program. Stage 3 means
Nichushkin violated the terms of the program.
The 29-year-old Russian forward will miss the rest of the postseason and the
first month next season at a minimum.
His teammates heard the news as they arrived at the rink Monday night before a
5-1 loss to the Stars that pushed them to the brink of elimination. They were
outshot by a 16-2 margin in the first period and trail the best-of-seven series
3-1.
Game 5 is Wednesday in Dallas. Nichushkin leads the team with nine playoff
goals this season.
"Val is obviously struggling with something," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said
after the game. "Yeah, it sucks for our team. We've got to turn the page. We've
got to go play way better than we did today. There's still 20-plus guys in that
room that care and want to win and that are here. That's what we have to focus
on. It hurts our team. There's no question. He's a great player."
Bednar wasn't willing to travel down the path when asked if Nichushkin may have
let down the team.
"I've gotten to know Val as a person and I've gotten to know him as one of our
teammates and I want what's best for him," Bednar said. "I want him to be happy
and I want him to be content in his life, whether that is with our team or not
with our team. I want the best for him and his family. I think all of our guys
are the same. We hope that he can find some peace and get help."
Stars coach Pete DeBoer echoed those thoughts.
"On the human side, you feel for any athlete who is dealing with issues like
that," DeBoer said.
Nichushkin was gone for nearly two months earlier this season to receive care
from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that were not
disclosed. This was on the heels of missing the final five games of a playoff
loss last season for what the team explained as personal reasons.
Nichushkin wasn't available to the team from Jan. 13 to March 7 after entering
the program. He became the second Avalanche player to enter the program during
the regular season, following defenseman Samuel Girard, who said in November
that anxiety and depression led to alcohol abuse. Girard returned in
mid-December.
In a first-round playoff series last spring against Seattle, Nichushkin
abruptly left the team with only the explanation that it was for personal
reasons. His absence started after officers responded to a crisis call at the
Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle before Game 3. A 28-year-old woman was in an
ambulance when officers arrived, and medics were told to speak with an
Avalanche team physician to gather more details.
The report, obtained at the time from the Seattle Police Department by The
Associated Press, said the Avalanche physician told officers that team
employees found the woman when they were checking on Nichushkin. The physician
told officers the woman appeared to be heavily intoxicated, too intoxicated to
have left the hotel "in a ride share or cab service," and requested EMS
assistance.
Before the season, Nichushkin dodged questions about the situation, saying
only, "I know you guys want to find something there, but it's nothing really
interesting. I think we should close it."
Asked after the game if he could see a scenario where Nichushkin and the team
could at some point reunite, Bednar simply responded: "I have no idea."
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
___
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