The Colorado Avalanche will be without winger Valeri Nichushkin for the Stanley Cup playoffs and for several months as they have been placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program.
The announcement came hours before the Avalanche faced the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup. It's the second time this season he's been on the show and Stage 3 means he violated the terms of the show.
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Valeri Nichushkin #13 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in warmups before game three of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena on May 11, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Under the terms of the joint program, Nichushkin will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months and may then apply for reinstatement,” a joint statement read.
He led the team with nine goals in the playoffs.
Nichushkin was out for nearly two months early in the season to receive attention from the program for undisclosed issues. It came on the heels of missing the final five games of a playoff exit last season for what the team called personal reasons.
During the Avalanche's playoff series against the Seattle Kraken last season, he left the team for personal reasons. Her absence began after officers were called to a crisis at a hotel before Game 3. A 28-year-old woman was reportedly in an ambulance when police arrived, and medics were asked to speak to a Avalanche team doctor to gather more details.
Valeri Nichushkin #13 of the Colorado Avalanche prepares for a first period faceoff against the Winnipeg Jets in game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canada Life Center on April 30, 2024 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
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A Seattle police report said the Avalanche doctor told officers that team employees found the woman when they checked on Nichushkin, The Associated Press reported. The doctor told officers that the woman appeared to be very intoxicated, too intoxicated to have left the hotel in a taxi or otherwise, and requested emergency assistance.
“I know you want to find something there, but it's nothing really interesting. I think we should close it,” he said before the season when asked about the incident.
FILE – Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin celebrates his goal during the second period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Feb. 4, 2020, in Buffalo, New York. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
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In the 54 games that he did play during the 2023-24 season, he scored 28 goals and accumulated 53 points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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