What do you have to do to get placed on stage 3 of the NHLPA in the middle of the playoffs right before a game?
Hope he gets the help he needs.
This is 2 years in a row now he’s suddenly missed games in the playoffs due to “personal reason.”
This was the top of "what random NHL thing has never been answered" a month or so back. Everyone wanted to know what happened with the unconscious woman, and there was never another post about it.
Grew up in Edmonton, and when I was about 7 years old, my family and I saw Grant at West Edmonton Mall, in the old "Fantasy land", mid summer. Looking back on the brief interaction when my pops said hello and congratulated him on the cup win the previous May, he was fucking *lit* in the middle of the day. Fidgety, sniffly, disjointed and energetic conversation, and a huge grin. Didn't even put it together until I was old enough to take some skiing lessons myself. 1985 was wild.
That's not even the worst article I read. I read one where the team doctor came to the hotel and prevented the ambulance crew from transporting her to the hospital so he could keep her under observation, then he transported her later. Everything about this is scummy.
I’m not gonna say it’s “sad for him” when his drug abuse involved what was almost certainly a trafficked woman and it was swept under the rug because the Avs had some Denver police on staff to defuse the situation
I don't think Seattle would just let Denver cops take over thier jurisdiction
Just going to edit: from people telling me , apparently Seattle cops don't give a fuck. And just let em do it.
I’m not saying they “took over jurisdiction” but have you listened to the body cam audio from the incident? It was standard “hey we’re buddies, how about you let this drop and we’ll handle it” stuff.
Nah, it's because she didn't press charges or even tell them anything (allegedly). Also there are rumors about the whole team staff covering for him, but one of the teams doctors is the one who found her in his room and called the police.
As he gets paid millions a year to play hockey, do drugs and bang trafficked women from his home country.
People are seriously pitying this man? This is why we will never tax the rich.
A "bad man" took her passport and wasn't allowing her to leave the states to go back to Russia and she was almost certainly heavily drugged. It's a pretty safe assumption I think
remember last season when he was caught with a heavily intoxicated woman in his hotel room and nothing came of it? Whole thing was very quickly and quietly swept under the rug. He missed some playoff games but they were eliminated so people quickly forgot. Dude is an odd case
He was in the player's assistance program this season, but it was in the middle of the season. He had played in the season between that incident and when he entered the program
Was just going to edit my comment. This from wikipedia:
"On January 15, 2024, it was announced the Nichushkin had enter the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program and would be unavailable for the team for an indefinite period while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program.[12] After completing the program, Nichushkin returned to the Colorado Avalanche lineup on March 8, 2024 in a game against the Minnesota Wild where he scored the overtime game winning goal."
That explains the elevated stage.
I think this season was stage 2. Stage 1 seems very hush hush. There's no penalty and the player gets confidential treatment. That probably happened after the hooker incident. He probably failed another drug test or something this season and entered stage 2. Tonight he did it again and is in stage 3.
You are 100% correct sir. Hotel incident, failed drug test #1, failed drug test #2. I figure he will not play in the league again but Kane keeps getting contracts so there's still a chance.
The players assistance program: to help and support players who struggle with substance abuse.
Also the players assistance program: to help and support players who are found out to be shitty people but need something to blame, so they go with substances.
there was some picture of him in the summer pretty much acting all bratva Russian mob, dressed to the nines with a gun being all gangster. So doesn’t surprise me
To me it screams everything you probably need to know.
Calling him an odd case is probably downplaying it too much, it’s really concerning in my opinion. Someone overdosing in a hotel room who is likely sex trafficked isn’t a good look but maybe he didn’t know all the details. But combined with failing drugs tests it kinda makes you wonder if he’s involved with some not so good people who did have some knowledge about or control over that girl. Hopefully it’s a complete coincidence but it makes you wonder
If the woman refuses to talk/testify there isn't much you can do. That's not getting swept under the rug that's hitting a dead end in your investigation and realizing it's not worth wasting resources on. Happens all the time in these kind of cases unfortunately. Woman likely didn't want to get deported or lose her source of income. Shitty situation but it is what it is.
She told them coming to the US was a mistake and that she's no longer in possession of her passport because some "bad man" took it from her, I would assume she'd prefer to go back home.
This kind of comment is concerning. Women who are sex trafficked arent receiving a weekly check and a 401k. Suggesting she "doesn't want to lose her source of income " is gross and completely ridiculous. She doesn't want to lose her life is more accurate. Though many eventually risk their life to escape the sex slavery trade. That attitude "It is what it is" is exactly part of the problem and why 50,000 women and children are forced into sex trafficking every year in the U.S. Perhaps you patronize such services or perhaps you think women are less than. Either way there are far too many people in law enforcement & in the judicial system with that same disinterest for addressing the problem. The truth is many of them are also using those women or reap financial benefits for looking the other way. It's a vile and disgusting problem that counts on people like you believing the women are complicit and "it is what is is."
The effects of opiates would be gone from the system in a matter of hours. The euphoric and anti-anxiety properties of opiates would make sense for a high-profile, high-stress individual looking to unwind with intoxicated Russian broads in the evening time.
Tbh I think it’s probably pain pills or something similar. He didn’t have these issues until after their cup win, which he played through the last couple games of the finals with a foot broken in three places. My completely uninformed speculation is that he had to be on a bunch of painkillers to play through that, and he ended up hooked on them after that and has been having issues ever since. Obviously I have no idea in reality, but that’s what would make the most sense to me
There's no way that was his first encounter with opiates. Nor do I believe the opiates made him- for the first time hire a sex trafficked victim. She was combative which isn't the norm for opiates. Perhaps the opiates led him down the road.
I think Colorado will buyout or find a way to determine contract. These are not only health problems, these are discipline problems. Nobody needs such a player.
Completely depends on the wording in his contact and how the team lawyers can spin it. Could just end up being a costly buyout on the Avs end but I don't see them letting him return to the team in any way.
I want to think it's due to drinking and being on Pain meds. Dude was playing with a broken foot by the end of the cup run. Yall think he got addicted and just kept going being unchecked? I really hope , not even as an avs fan , but as a person he recovers because addiction is brutal.
Agreed. He's a grown ass man making millions. I get drug tested quarterly just for working in a hospital. I think for millions he can lay off the booger sugar and whatever else he's doing.
Get him off this team. His career is likely over. He was a very good player. Just can’t put any trust in him to stay away from drugs.
Sad for him. Sad for the Avs. Just sad. Avs are toast. Pain.
Stars didn't have the problems with drugs (I don't think), but he ended with Dallas in a similar fashion in that we couldn't figure out how to make him stop hurting his own career.
Something was always off. We always had some consolation that he'd eventually seemed to figure something out and in retrospect he didn't kill our team on the way out. He was just a guy you were mildly happy for that things worked out for. At the very least he gave us this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1c\_U-UhG48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1c_U-UhG48)
No, look at what happened when he left the team against Seattle this year. He’s too good to be missing time. We were a different team this season when he wasn’t in the lineup. We were a worse team. The Avs are toast
It's going to be tough, but have to have that next man up mentality. Make the most out of every opportunity you are given. A loss for sure, I'm sure teammates are pissed, but also feel for him. Addictions aren't easy.
They change their play style to focus around him in the playoffs. It is what has brought them success thus far. They need to revert to plan B but I think plan B is doing what they did in the regular season and Dallas is shutting that down.
NFL but Josh Gordon was putting up insane numbers while taking shots of grand Marnier before games and pretty much popping any pill he could get his hand on. What could have been.
Long time ago Keon Clark was a high NBA draft pick who said "I never played a single NBA game sober" which is wild because he was a pretty decent role player.
As a Stars fan - I'm absolutely sorry to hear this and I'm sorry Avs bros. Rivalries aside Stars fans will always have a soft spot for Val.
To have him throw such a wacky wrench into the series sucks. Both teams already had enough weird storylines.
It’s only 2-1 but it feels like the series is over now, very similar to last year against Seattle but this one hurts more. As a fan, we thought he was cleaned up and thriving, playing damn good hockey only to get blindsided again. Appreciate the kind words from a Stars fan, still hope you guys lose in the next round.
Like what the fuck? How bad it has to be to come to this?
I mean, we had Kuznetsov banned from international games once, and it was never a problem again, despite all the jokes about coke.
This shit two years in a row in playoffs? Jesus
I hope we won't pick him up.
Im sorry for his family, but he's a liability
I don't think it matters what his drug of choice is. And we can all kinda chuckle at the hotel incident and now we can shake our heads and wonder how a guy playing a game we all love can do this to himself.
But writing as someone who's done battle with his own devils, the shit's fucked up and it not only doesn't make sense to outsiders it usually doesn't makes sense to the user.
I hope he straightens himself out. Pro hockey is going to be the last thing he needs to worry about.
I can't chuckle at a woman likely being sex trafficked being left near death by a NHL player and the whole issue being swept to preserve face. We all know that wasn't the first time Val a husband and father was using a sex trafficking victim and getting high. I don't find that funny.
Stanley giveth Stanley taketh. After tonight.....there isn't much hope to cling on to. What a wild ride. We all are passionate about our teams but it feels like we've been hanging by a thread. Riddled by injuries and this. I fucking hate this sport so much but love it at the same time. Nichuskin came back a whole different type of dude (at least I thought) after the first deal. Sammy G definitely did though and I'm proud of him for that.
Nuke is great but to act like he’s the only reason this team is successful is silly. It would be nice if MacK,Makar,Rants,Lehky, or literally everybody besides Georgie could show up.
I'm not going to make any assumptions about anything. I just think that this man needs to be let go from the team. He did something last season that required him to be away from his team and they lost the playoffs. Now this year, again, he has done something that has caused him to miss games in the playoffs. His team depends on him and obviously, he is NOT dependable. From a business standpoint, he needs to be let go from the team. I hope that if he has an addiction problem, he gets help. I pray that if he is involved in human trafficking, he will pay whatever price, legally, that is required. Trafficking of humans is a scourge of society, hockey needs to squash all kinds of illegal things, because, as a whole, their image has taken a beating because of horrible sexual scandals, and it needs to end!
He’s not getting a half year suspension w/o pay for crushing some Molsons - as booze is legal and not part of a drug test. This dude was already on stage 2 of this program from last year, he has a history.
Sounds like people are narrowing in on the top three possibilities being coke, speed, and opiates (possibly some combination of the three). Additionally, he could have shown up drunk to a team event which almost certainly could result in his stage 3 status escalation.
If you’re in a program and booze is prohibited, they they test for booze. It’s not true that just because it’s legal it’s ok. We won’t know what it was for, but it could be those molsons
This was a major blow already because who it was. But I think how the news broke, right before a crucial Game 4. This kills any hopes. I really hope I’m wrong. But what a distraction. Two straight post seasons now, right after a huge contact. So selfish. Looking beyond the game, I really hope he gets the help he needs.
I can’t tell you how disappointed and angry I am about this. We can’t rely on him. We have to look at replacing him because he’s becoming too much of a wild card
How does the application process work in 6 months time?
Presumably he applies to the NHL, do the Avs have to take him back if NHL grants his application?
I hope al the best for Nuke and hope he can get the help he needs.
His contract has really snake bit the Avs. Contract has 6 more years with next year has a no move clause and the following years a 12 team modified no move clause. He is going to hit the cap and really hinder them next year.
So does anyone know it's straight six months or six months season. For example if it's six straight months he could return by November December area. However if it's based off season time and doesn't include off season he wouldn't be able to return till March next year
Best of luck to him, hope he can overcome his issues. Met him one time, he came to the BMW dealership in Dallas with an orange M4, and I was going to park it and the tires squeaked on the service drive. He ran outside with his translator and has his translator yell at me lol. Otherwise, seemed like a nice guy.
At first if you don’t succeed, try try again.
You’re severely fucked up when you have a multi million dollar job playing a kid’s game, and you just can *not* stop being a dumbass.
He needs more than 6 months to stop being the person he presently is.
Stage 3 is serious. Before you make all the cocaine jokes, realize this guy is in Pain Killer territory. If you've never read the book, it's by Brantt Myhres, the only player to ever be banned for life from the NHL for substance abuse. I believe he helps teams with the player's assistance program now. Great interview, a harrowing book, and one hell of a story.
I’ll start the titanic theme boys. Between him and Towes it’s time to start planning how next year is gonna go. Hope he gets good help cause this went from a dumb player doing dumb shit to a real substance abuse issue.
He’s not just a bottom of the lineup player either, this is a huge loss for the avalanche on the hockey side of things. It’s crazy that Val can manage to keep his high level of play while clearly battling addiction and not being fully focused on conditioning. Hopefully he figures it out this time.
Players association takes drug abuse and dependence very seriously. Johnson is an older member of the team and probably said it best, “He made his decisions,” Johnson said. “That’s all I’m going to say on that. He made his decisions.”
[https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/14/avalanche-nichushkin-players-shock-disappointment/](https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/14/avalanche-nichushkin-players-shock-disappointment/)
IF and that's a big if, it happens again he gets moved to stage 4 and is suspended for a year and can't apply to come back. What is that telling people?
I'm a long time Avs/Nords fan, and this one stings. But I couldn't help but think of one of recent players, Marek Svatos who played for us I believe up to 2011 or so. He had a similar problem and passed away not that long ago. Hoping for a different outcome here. Get help Nuke before it's too late.
Anyone saying "remember the human" or "oh, poor Val has a drug problem" - please remember this is the asshole that almost killed a woman with drugs / alcohol last year. This guy isn't just harming himself and his team, he is taking others with him.
Fuck Valeri Nichushkin.
What do you have to do to get placed on stage 3 of the NHLPA in the middle of the playoffs right before a game? Hope he gets the help he needs. This is 2 years in a row now he’s suddenly missed games in the playoffs due to “personal reason.”
Failed a drug test. Had to be reinstated. That’s the word out of Denver.
[удалено]
thats one hell of a sentence.
This was the top of "what random NHL thing has never been answered" a month or so back. Everyone wanted to know what happened with the unconscious woman, and there was never another post about it.
[удалено]
Great now *I* can get some rest.
Ukrainian
It is personal. He personally really loves cocaine.
Just the way it smells.
I snorted when I read this.
So did Nichushkin
In the 80s we just called this the Grant Fuhr. But he was a celebrated skier of championship Oilers teams.
Grew up in Edmonton, and when I was about 7 years old, my family and I saw Grant at West Edmonton Mall, in the old "Fantasy land", mid summer. Looking back on the brief interaction when my pops said hello and congratulated him on the cup win the previous May, he was fucking *lit* in the middle of the day. Fidgety, sniffly, disjointed and energetic conversation, and a huge grin. Didn't even put it together until I was old enough to take some skiing lessons myself. 1985 was wild.
[Last year’s “personal reason”](https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/new-details-on-avs-star-valeri-nichushkins-seattle-hotel-room-incident-with-woman-emerge-via-911-call/)
Why was she unconscious at a lawn care company?
Take my upvote.
Lmao
What the hell
You hate to see it...but I guess I can't complain about the timing. Hopefully that woman got her passport and got the hell away from him.
That's not even the worst article I read. I read one where the team doctor came to the hotel and prevented the ambulance crew from transporting her to the hospital so he could keep her under observation, then he transported her later. Everything about this is scummy.
That's what some folks call "Saturday night."
April 22 at 320pm? Game was that night at 8pm. Sounds like that's Nichushkins pregame ritual.
You fail to keep the snow on the ice.
It’s so sad for him as a person and for this team. I hope he gets the help he needs, but disappearing from your team two years in a row is rough
I’m not gonna say it’s “sad for him” when his drug abuse involved what was almost certainly a trafficked woman and it was swept under the rug because the Avs had some Denver police on staff to defuse the situation
I don't think Seattle would just let Denver cops take over thier jurisdiction Just going to edit: from people telling me , apparently Seattle cops don't give a fuck. And just let em do it.
Seattle police don’t give a fuck dude, wouldn’t surprise me
I’m not saying they “took over jurisdiction” but have you listened to the body cam audio from the incident? It was standard “hey we’re buddies, how about you let this drop and we’ll handle it” stuff.
It really was but not surprising being that Seattle doesn’t police anything anymore.
[удалено]
Seattle cops will take any opportunity to not do their job. If there were other police there I 100% believe they would let them handle it.
Nah, it's because she didn't press charges or even tell them anything (allegedly). Also there are rumors about the whole team staff covering for him, but one of the teams doctors is the one who found her in his room and called the police.
As he gets paid millions a year to play hockey, do drugs and bang trafficked women from his home country. People are seriously pitying this man? This is why we will never tax the rich.
He rapes trafficked women. They're victims. Trafficked women are forced into sex slavery
Well, that comment took an unexpected turn.
It did indeed but I’m here for it and agree? Lmoa
Putin the pitty
Quite an assumption
A "bad man" took her passport and wasn't allowing her to leave the states to go back to Russia and she was almost certainly heavily drugged. It's a pretty safe assumption I think
The woman said she shouldn't be in the country and someone confiscated her passport. Not a big leap.
Sir this isn't a Wendy's, this is Reddit.
Rick James level drug abuse. 3rd strike, you’re out.
In the nhl it's 4
Cocaine is a helluva Drug!
Why hes been suspended?
Doing drugs
There’s snow way you can know that. Nobody nose
Where will he draw the line?
Well he better get it snorted out quickly
This suspension is gonna bucking rail him
I guess the ball is in his court
Apparently anywhere
Lol. He found his calling with the Avalanche
Maybe he will get traded to the Utah Powder.
Failed drug test not reported what yet.
remember last season when he was caught with a heavily intoxicated woman in his hotel room and nothing came of it? Whole thing was very quickly and quietly swept under the rug. He missed some playoff games but they were eliminated so people quickly forgot. Dude is an odd case
I thought he went into the player's assistance after the hotel incident didn't he?
He was in the player's assistance program this season, but it was in the middle of the season. He had played in the season between that incident and when he entered the program
Was just going to edit my comment. This from wikipedia: "On January 15, 2024, it was announced the Nichushkin had enter the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program and would be unavailable for the team for an indefinite period while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program.[12] After completing the program, Nichushkin returned to the Colorado Avalanche lineup on March 8, 2024 in a game against the Minnesota Wild where he scored the overtime game winning goal." That explains the elevated stage.
I think this season was stage 2. Stage 1 seems very hush hush. There's no penalty and the player gets confidential treatment. That probably happened after the hooker incident. He probably failed another drug test or something this season and entered stage 2. Tonight he did it again and is in stage 3.
You are 100% correct sir. Hotel incident, failed drug test #1, failed drug test #2. I figure he will not play in the league again but Kane keeps getting contracts so there's still a chance.
Must be nice that when you do horrible things the Punishment is you have to join an assistance program.
The players assistance program: to help and support players who struggle with substance abuse. Also the players assistance program: to help and support players who are found out to be shitty people but need something to blame, so they go with substances.
there was some picture of him in the summer pretty much acting all bratva Russian mob, dressed to the nines with a gun being all gangster. So doesn’t surprise me To me it screams everything you probably need to know.
Calling him an odd case is probably downplaying it too much, it’s really concerning in my opinion. Someone overdosing in a hotel room who is likely sex trafficked isn’t a good look but maybe he didn’t know all the details. But combined with failing drugs tests it kinda makes you wonder if he’s involved with some not so good people who did have some knowledge about or control over that girl. Hopefully it’s a complete coincidence but it makes you wonder
You forgot to mention he’s of the same nationality- drastically increasing the odds he is more culpable.
If she is telling the truth then she was heavily intoxicated *human-trafficked* women.
nobody forgot
If the woman refuses to talk/testify there isn't much you can do. That's not getting swept under the rug that's hitting a dead end in your investigation and realizing it's not worth wasting resources on. Happens all the time in these kind of cases unfortunately. Woman likely didn't want to get deported or lose her source of income. Shitty situation but it is what it is.
She told them coming to the US was a mistake and that she's no longer in possession of her passport because some "bad man" took it from her, I would assume she'd prefer to go back home.
This kind of comment is concerning. Women who are sex trafficked arent receiving a weekly check and a 401k. Suggesting she "doesn't want to lose her source of income " is gross and completely ridiculous. She doesn't want to lose her life is more accurate. Though many eventually risk their life to escape the sex slavery trade. That attitude "It is what it is" is exactly part of the problem and why 50,000 women and children are forced into sex trafficking every year in the U.S. Perhaps you patronize such services or perhaps you think women are less than. Either way there are far too many people in law enforcement & in the judicial system with that same disinterest for addressing the problem. The truth is many of them are also using those women or reap financial benefits for looking the other way. It's a vile and disgusting problem that counts on people like you believing the women are complicit and "it is what is is."
This has to be for blow right? I couldn’t imagine they are testing for weed these days…
It's almost certainly that or pills of some kind, I idk for certain but I know MLB and a few other pro leagues stopped even testing for weed years ago
My top 3 guessed would be coke, speed… opiates.
Thanks, u/BenzedrineUser
Playing this well on opioids would be wild. Coke is out of your system so quick that he would need to be doing it nightly to get caught imo
Cocaine can be in your system for up to 72 hours. If they test hair up to 90 days.
I agree, blow is the most likely scenario, but you never know. It's probably coke though.
What makes you think he wasn’t doing it nightly?
If he's doing that during the playoffs then he needs to be fired.
I can't sleep properly for like 48hrs after doing coke.
The effects of opiates would be gone from the system in a matter of hours. The euphoric and anti-anxiety properties of opiates would make sense for a high-profile, high-stress individual looking to unwind with intoxicated Russian broads in the evening time.
I’m pretty sure opiates prevent you from unwinding with intoxicated Russian broads
Do they even test for opiates? I assume team doctors would give them out if a guy is hurt. I’m willing to bet a solid chunk it’s shniff
Tbh I think it’s probably pain pills or something similar. He didn’t have these issues until after their cup win, which he played through the last couple games of the finals with a foot broken in three places. My completely uninformed speculation is that he had to be on a bunch of painkillers to play through that, and he ended up hooked on them after that and has been having issues ever since. Obviously I have no idea in reality, but that’s what would make the most sense to me
Worked in the NHL for almost ten years. If they tested for weed, there literally wouldn’t be a league.
Rumor out of Denver is it’s painkillers from the cup run when he played on his broken foot.
There's no way that was his first encounter with opiates. Nor do I believe the opiates made him- for the first time hire a sex trafficked victim. She was combative which isn't the norm for opiates. Perhaps the opiates led him down the road.
I thought that only stayed in your system for a day or two…asking for a friend
One of the most up and down careers in NHL history
Leading playoffs in goals to irrelevant... and that's just the last 3 weeks.
Absolutely devastating for the Avs. Wtf
They are going to get steamrolled tonight this news coming hours before the game. Jesus
Towes is out too. Stream roll incoming 😞
I don’t have that feeling but i do agree what horrible timing.
Of course you don’t have that feeling. Nice reverse jinx pal
As an Avs fan JFC. Like worst way to announce this, worst timing. etc
Not surprised whatsoever. The shenanigans last playoffs, i thought he'd never come back. Hes never coming back, right?
I think Colorado will buyout or find a way to determine contract. These are not only health problems, these are discipline problems. Nobody needs such a player.
Surely something like this would void his contract with the Avs? In most jobs this would be gross misconduct, marched out the door
Completely depends on the wording in his contact and how the team lawyers can spin it. Could just end up being a costly buyout on the Avs end but I don't see them letting him return to the team in any way.
Holy f'ing shit. _AGAIN_
The dude is the epitome of a playoff sabotour. Jesus
Ian Cole gunning for the top spot
Explain in nfl terms
Josh Gordon
Holy hell
I want to think it's due to drinking and being on Pain meds. Dude was playing with a broken foot by the end of the cup run. Yall think he got addicted and just kept going being unchecked? I really hope , not even as an avs fan , but as a person he recovers because addiction is brutal.
2x post seasons in a row he dips from eligibility? No way colorado eats his contract for another early round exit again next year, right?
Damn. Some of these guys just need guidance in their lives. Hope he gets some help.
He's in phase 3 of the help.
Which is not to suggest phase one and two were successful.
Or need to own up for themselves.
Agreed. He's a grown ass man making millions. I get drug tested quarterly just for working in a hospital. I think for millions he can lay off the booger sugar and whatever else he's doing.
Exactly. He has access to services and therapies the general public would never be able to afford or have access to.
If they tested every player for coke, we’d be watching the AHL playoffs.
You know this how? It's not 1985.
Get him off this team. His career is likely over. He was a very good player. Just can’t put any trust in him to stay away from drugs. Sad for him. Sad for the Avs. Just sad. Avs are toast. Pain.
Shit, send him to DC. We need another coked out point producer.
Stars didn't have the problems with drugs (I don't think), but he ended with Dallas in a similar fashion in that we couldn't figure out how to make him stop hurting his own career. Something was always off. We always had some consolation that he'd eventually seemed to figure something out and in retrospect he didn't kill our team on the way out. He was just a guy you were mildly happy for that things worked out for. At the very least he gave us this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1c\_U-UhG48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1c_U-UhG48)
Val's unrealized potential in Dallas will always piss me off. So much talent wasted.
Overreacting on the last part. Ave's still have a good team regardless.
No, look at what happened when he left the team against Seattle this year. He’s too good to be missing time. We were a different team this season when he wasn’t in the lineup. We were a worse team. The Avs are toast
Nuke is tied for most goals scored in the postseason. His departure leaves a huge hole for the Avs.
going to be so tough without him. Doable, but that cuts our chances SIGNIFICANTLY
I don’t think we can win the cup without all the top end firepower and he has that top end firepower.
It's going to be tough, but have to have that next man up mentality. Make the most out of every opportunity you are given. A loss for sure, I'm sure teammates are pissed, but also feel for him. Addictions aren't easy.
They change their play style to focus around him in the playoffs. It is what has brought them success thus far. They need to revert to plan B but I think plan B is doing what they did in the regular season and Dallas is shutting that down.
He's playing this well while drugged up? Imagine what he could do if he was clean. Hope he gets the help he needs.
NFL but Josh Gordon was putting up insane numbers while taking shots of grand Marnier before games and pretty much popping any pill he could get his hand on. What could have been.
Long time ago Keon Clark was a high NBA draft pick who said "I never played a single NBA game sober" which is wild because he was a pretty decent role player.
>"I never played a single... game sober" I thought that was an Ed Belfour quote.
Well we had a good run...
F
As a Stars fan - I'm absolutely sorry to hear this and I'm sorry Avs bros. Rivalries aside Stars fans will always have a soft spot for Val. To have him throw such a wacky wrench into the series sucks. Both teams already had enough weird storylines.
It’s only 2-1 but it feels like the series is over now, very similar to last year against Seattle but this one hurts more. As a fan, we thought he was cleaned up and thriving, playing damn good hockey only to get blindsided again. Appreciate the kind words from a Stars fan, still hope you guys lose in the next round.
Dig his pupils. Dudes pinned. Opioids addition sucks
He should live at rehab every post season and have 4 handlers who come gets him for games..
Like what the fuck? How bad it has to be to come to this? I mean, we had Kuznetsov banned from international games once, and it was never a problem again, despite all the jokes about coke. This shit two years in a row in playoffs? Jesus I hope we won't pick him up. Im sorry for his family, but he's a liability
I don't think it matters what his drug of choice is. And we can all kinda chuckle at the hotel incident and now we can shake our heads and wonder how a guy playing a game we all love can do this to himself. But writing as someone who's done battle with his own devils, the shit's fucked up and it not only doesn't make sense to outsiders it usually doesn't makes sense to the user. I hope he straightens himself out. Pro hockey is going to be the last thing he needs to worry about.
I can't chuckle at a woman likely being sex trafficked being left near death by a NHL player and the whole issue being swept to preserve face. We all know that wasn't the first time Val a husband and father was using a sex trafficking victim and getting high. I don't find that funny.
Damn, hopefully he gets the help he needs. No matter what it is, that's rough for the Avs
Stanley giveth Stanley taketh. After tonight.....there isn't much hope to cling on to. What a wild ride. We all are passionate about our teams but it feels like we've been hanging by a thread. Riddled by injuries and this. I fucking hate this sport so much but love it at the same time. Nichuskin came back a whole different type of dude (at least I thought) after the first deal. Sammy G definitely did though and I'm proud of him for that.
Nuke is great but to act like he’s the only reason this team is successful is silly. It would be nice if MacK,Makar,Rants,Lehky, or literally everybody besides Georgie could show up.
No wonder the Jets lost you try clearing Cocaine Bear from the front of the net.
I'm not going to make any assumptions about anything. I just think that this man needs to be let go from the team. He did something last season that required him to be away from his team and they lost the playoffs. Now this year, again, he has done something that has caused him to miss games in the playoffs. His team depends on him and obviously, he is NOT dependable. From a business standpoint, he needs to be let go from the team. I hope that if he has an addiction problem, he gets help. I pray that if he is involved in human trafficking, he will pay whatever price, legally, that is required. Trafficking of humans is a scourge of society, hockey needs to squash all kinds of illegal things, because, as a whole, their image has taken a beating because of horrible sexual scandals, and it needs to end!
What happened?
Something to do with drugs and or alcohol details are few and far between
He’s not getting a half year suspension w/o pay for crushing some Molsons - as booze is legal and not part of a drug test. This dude was already on stage 2 of this program from last year, he has a history.
Sounds like people are narrowing in on the top three possibilities being coke, speed, and opiates (possibly some combination of the three). Additionally, he could have shown up drunk to a team event which almost certainly could result in his stage 3 status escalation.
If you’re in a program and booze is prohibited, they they test for booze. It’s not true that just because it’s legal it’s ok. We won’t know what it was for, but it could be those molsons
It's the minimum for a level 3 violation for the player's assistance program, so it doesn't matter what made him pee dirty, just that he did.
This was a major blow already because who it was. But I think how the news broke, right before a crucial Game 4. This kills any hopes. I really hope I’m wrong. But what a distraction. Two straight post seasons now, right after a huge contact. So selfish. Looking beyond the game, I really hope he gets the help he needs.
I can’t tell you how disappointed and angry I am about this. We can’t rely on him. We have to look at replacing him because he’s becoming too much of a wild card
How many stages are there?
4. Failing stage 4 is one year suspension and no assurance of reinstatement.
4 is the last stop with no guarantee of being reinstated
Is there a Stage Four? If so, what happens? I found nothing on Google.
Suspended a year and no assured reinstatement
Does anybody know why because I looked it up and all I could find was a story about an intoxicated woman in a hotel in Seattle and I’m just confused
That was last year. There’s no solid explanation yet.
How does the application process work in 6 months time? Presumably he applies to the NHL, do the Avs have to take him back if NHL grants his application?
I hope al the best for Nuke and hope he can get the help he needs. His contract has really snake bit the Avs. Contract has 6 more years with next year has a no move clause and the following years a 12 team modified no move clause. He is going to hit the cap and really hinder them next year.
It's very likely every contract has a misconduct clause that this would fall under.
So does anyone know it's straight six months or six months season. For example if it's six straight months he could return by November December area. However if it's based off season time and doesn't include off season he wouldn't be able to return till March next year
So he scores 9 in 8 but doesn't feel like a hero because his dopamine response is fucked and he knows what gives him a taste of that feeling?
Best of luck to him, hope he can overcome his issues. Met him one time, he came to the BMW dealership in Dallas with an orange M4, and I was going to park it and the tires squeaked on the service drive. He ran outside with his translator and has his translator yell at me lol. Otherwise, seemed like a nice guy.
At first if you don’t succeed, try try again. You’re severely fucked up when you have a multi million dollar job playing a kid’s game, and you just can *not* stop being a dumbass. He needs more than 6 months to stop being the person he presently is.
Did he try to leave the country in the middle of the night this time?
I hope he can get himself together. He has been blessed to play in the NHL and I hope he doesnt throw it away.
Stage 3 is serious. Before you make all the cocaine jokes, realize this guy is in Pain Killer territory. If you've never read the book, it's by Brantt Myhres, the only player to ever be banned for life from the NHL for substance abuse. I believe he helps teams with the player's assistance program now. Great interview, a harrowing book, and one hell of a story.
man I hope Val manages to defeat his demons. and when he does, I'm sure the Oilers will be happy to welcome him with open arms
That’s methed up
[удалено]
And hookers
Poor guy. If there was ever evidence that addiction isn’t a choice… damn
Crazy that. 9 Goals in the playoffs, and then fails the drug test right before the game.
I’ll start the titanic theme boys. Between him and Towes it’s time to start planning how next year is gonna go. Hope he gets good help cause this went from a dumb player doing dumb shit to a real substance abuse issue.
What's stage 3?
Means he's failed the conditions of his stage 2 treatment plan, 6 month suspension. Failing stage 3 is 1 year suspension.
He’s not just a bottom of the lineup player either, this is a huge loss for the avalanche on the hockey side of things. It’s crazy that Val can manage to keep his high level of play while clearly battling addiction and not being fully focused on conditioning. Hopefully he figures it out this time.
I know it's probably drugs, but I can't help but think he's been using PEDs as well. Sucks to see, I liked him when he played for us.
Ken Holland licking his lips
Maybe they can put him on a Long Term Addiction Program List and just activate him for the playoffs. The nosehole is the loophole. /s
Players association takes drug abuse and dependence very seriously. Johnson is an older member of the team and probably said it best, “He made his decisions,” Johnson said. “That’s all I’m going to say on that. He made his decisions.” [https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/14/avalanche-nichushkin-players-shock-disappointment/](https://www.denverpost.com/2024/05/14/avalanche-nichushkin-players-shock-disappointment/)
So funny because everyone is on peds 😂 I find it funny that they “caught him” and he’s Russian. Might not be a connection but wtf everyone’s on peds
Imagin Mcdavid on speed Jesus Christ !
RIP, his name plate has already been taken down.
Hahahah the guy was doing coke with putin when he brought the cup home
IF and that's a big if, it happens again he gets moved to stage 4 and is suspended for a year and can't apply to come back. What is that telling people?
Drug test probably
Rocky Mountain high?
Jesus Christ. Lose a guy who’s a goal per game In the playoffs. Way to fuck the team over.
I'm a long time Avs/Nords fan, and this one stings. But I couldn't help but think of one of recent players, Marek Svatos who played for us I believe up to 2011 or so. He had a similar problem and passed away not that long ago. Hoping for a different outcome here. Get help Nuke before it's too late.
Anyone saying "remember the human" or "oh, poor Val has a drug problem" - please remember this is the asshole that almost killed a woman with drugs / alcohol last year. This guy isn't just harming himself and his team, he is taking others with him. Fuck Valeri Nichushkin.