Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche has been suspended by the NHL and NHLPA for six months without pay. The suspension was announced by the league and NHLPA earlier today in a joint statement that mentioned, Valeri Nichushkin has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program.
According to the statement, Nichushkin has been suspended, without pay, for a minimum of six months and can apply for reinstatement at the end of this duration. Stage 3 is the penultimate stage in the Player Assistance Program. If Nichushkin is placed on Stage 4 after his expected return, six months from now, the Avalanche forward will be suspended without pay for atleast 12 months. According to league and NHLPA policy, a reinstatement is not guaranteed if a player reaches Stage 4.
Per NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Valeri Nichushkin failed a drug test recently which urged the NHLPA to take immediate action given his history.
In January 2024, Valeri Nichushkin took an indefinite leave of absence and entered the NHLPA’s player assistance program. In a statement released by the Colorada Avalance, he had said:
“I have made the decision to seek help and enter the Players Assistance Program. My goal is to address my issues and prevent any negative outcomes once and for all. I want to thank my wife and family, my friends, the Avalanche organization, and all of our fans for their understanding and support. I will do everything I can to get back on the ice and join my teammates as soon as possible.”
Also read: What is Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program in NHL?
Nichushkin returned on March 8, after missing games for two months, as the Avalanche took on the Minnesota Wild. During his time in the program, he was allowed by the NHLPA to practice with the team on February 26.
Valeri Nichushkin was marred after an unidentified, intoxicated woman was found in his Seattle hotel room
Valeri Nichushkin was away from the team for Games 3 through 5, during Colorado Avalanche’s 2023 Round 1 playoff series against the Seattle Kraken. after a then 28-year old woman was found by team employees because of an incident that happened on April 22.
In a body-camera footage which was relesed by Seattle Police Department, the team physician was seen telling officers on scene that the woman in Nichushkin’s room, appeared to be intoxicated to an extent that she required help of medical services. Per Yahoo Sports’ Arun Srinivasan, Avalanche team physician Bradley Changstrom said to the police:
“We were trying to get her out of the room. And she was very clearly intoxicated. Very clearly, I could not send her in an Uber due to her safety.”
In the released body-cam footage, the two officers were heard conversing about the woman, when one of the officers recalled his interaction with the intoxicated woman, and said:
“I got the name but she says she’s from Russia, she came here for school but she couldn’t say the school is what she’s claiming. She kept saying whoever she’s with is a bad man and he took her passport,”
Nichushkin was asked about the incident during 2023-24 preseason to which, per ESPN’s Ryan Clark, the forward replied:
“I think we should close it. It’s a new season right now. We have to focus on that.”
