The Colorado Avalanche were eliminated on Sunday, April 30th by the Seattle Kraken in a do-or-die Game 7 without help from forward Valeri Nichushkin, who has been out of the Avalanche line up since playing in Game 2. Nichushkin was an unexpected scratch from Game 3 after missing morning skate. Head Coach Jared Bednar told media before Game 3 that Nichushkin was taking a maintenance day.[1]
The following day Bednar elaborated that he had been going off the information he had at the time when he attributed Nichushkin’s absence to a “maintenance day.” “That’s the information I had at the time: it was a maintenance day.” Bednar went on to say that he then became aware that Nichushkin left for personal reasons, stating “If he was around and could be around, then he would be available to play.”[2] Since, Bednar has responded to questions by stating that he cannot comment because “it’s personal reasons.”[3] Bednar has stuck to this line following revelations that a Seattle Police Department Behavioral Crisis Report shows that police and medical personal responded to a call from a Colorado team physician Dr. Bradley Changstrom at the team’s hotel seeking help for a women he, apparently, found heavily intoxicated in Nichushkin’s room around 3pm in the afternoon, just hours before game 3. According to a recording of the call obtained through a freedom of information request, Dr. Changstrom called 911 because he believed the woman was too intoxicated to leave on her own. According to reports, Dr. Changstrom found the woman, who is identified as a twenty-eight-year-old Russian woman born in the Ukraine, while going to check on Nichushkin.[4]
According to reports, the woman and Nichushkin are not related. She told police officers in the ambulance that “some guy took her passport and that he was a bad person.”[5] There are no reports indicating that Nichushkin has been arrested or that he is suspended by the team. No one with the Avalanche has elaborated on the situation, including whether his absence is his choice or the team’s choice. It remains unclear why team personnel thought it was necessary to check on Nichushkin at the hotel. Reports indicate he was escorted to the Seattle airport by team security within the same time frame of the 911 call.[6]
Prior to the police report coming out, hockey insider Frank Seravalli had indicated that Nichushkin’s absence was connected to an alcohol-related incident at the team’s hotel in Seattle.[7] Initial speculation centered on Nichushkin directly, with concerns the forward was intoxicated before the game. Although that may have been the case, the police report does not mention any medical personnel interacting with Nichushkin and the team has not provided any details. Nichushkin’s agent has maintained that “No one was found in Val’s room. These events have nothing to do with Val.”[8]
The Avalanche organization, from the General Manager to the players, have responded to inquiries about the situation by citing the sanctity of “personal issues.” This insistence on maintaining privacy, coupled with the organization’s continued insistence that this is not a disciplinary absence, could implicate the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program – or an analogous need for confidentiality. There is a long history of teams “covering” for players and it will be interesting to see if the team continues to refuse to answer questions if this is not a situation where Nichushkin has entered the Player Assistance Program. Teams typically issue updates on players’ injuries following elimination from the play-offs, but the Avalanche, to date, have not made a public statement on Nichushkin’s absence. In a series that saw Colorado deal with the loss of multiple players to suspension and injury, there is no doubt Colorado could have used Nichushkin on the ice.
When players enter the Player Assistance Program, teams often begin by stating that players are away for “personal reasons” prior to announcing the player in question has entered the program – whether voluntarily or quasi-voluntarily at the urging of the team. The NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program was started in 1996 and is a joint venture between the league and the players’ union that provides support to all players and their families struggling with mental health, substance abuse or other issues.[9] Players have access to a confidential phone line and there are counselors available in all league cities. Players are paid while in the program and confidentiality as to the nature of the issue is maintained, although players may choose to share their struggles. Players must be cleared by those running the program in order to leave the program and return to play.
While the program is no doubt a step in the right direction and teams for the most part welcome back players who enter the program for any reason, the nature of a highly competitive league with limited roster spots does raise issues about what happens when a player may not have entered the program entirely voluntarily. The Red Wings’ Jakub Vrana entered the program October 20th of this season, after playing only two games, and came back to the Red Wings December 16th. Vrana is now a member of the St. Louis Blues following what turned out to be a rocky return to Detroit. While he has not made any official statements, it is widely believed that Vrana had substance abuse issues related to alcohol.
Upon returning to the Red Wings, the organization sent Vrana to Grand Rapids for a conditioning stint in the AHL before waiving him. No teams claimed Vrana, perhaps considering him damaged goods despite his clear offensive skills and ability to contribute at the NHL level. The Red Wings eventually recalled Vrana to the big club, but healthy scratched him on a regular basis before trading him at the deadline to St. Louis for a 7th round draft pick in 2025 and a career minor league forward.[10] Vrana told reporters after his first practice in St. Louis that he felt ready to contribute to the Red Wings upon being released from the Player Assistance Program, and intimated that he was not happy with the Red Wings decision to assign him to Grand Rapids. “To be honest with you, I came back and conditioning-wise I was ready. I did some testing — I had better numbers than in the training camp. I was ready to play . . . I’m just a player and I don’t make the decisions who’s gonna play, who’s not.”[11]
Citing confidentiality issues, Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman did not elaborate when asked about Vrana’s comments beyond saying, “I don’t think I can really go into details on a lot of the things that have gone on.”
Whether the relationship between the Red Wings and Vrana soured because of his off-ice issues or because he refused shoulder surgery in the off-season prior to the start of the 2021 season and then was hurt during training camp, after which he got surgery and did not return to the line up until March 1st of that season is, no doubt, confidential information as well.
It is important to protect players’ confidentiality and to encourage players to seek help when needed, for whatever they are struggling with, but the silence that surrounds the Player Assistance Program can feel like it functions to both allow teams to deflect conversations about their decisions surrounding players and to dodge potentially important legal questions surrounding the actions of their players.
[1] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[2] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[3] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[4] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[5] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[6] https://www.canucksdaily.com/LATEST-Insider-reveals-more-details-regarding-Nichushkin-absence-from-Avalanche-230613
[7] https://www.canucksdaily.com/LATEST-Insider-reveals-more-details-regarding-Nichushkin-absence-from-Avalanche-230613
[8] https://theathletic.com/4465453/2023/04/28/avalanche-valeri-nichushkin-team-absence/?access_token=1959423
[9] https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-nhlpa-player-assistance-program/hspgaxshyg0uildegf02tbg4
[10] https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/controversy-resurfaces-in-jakub-vrana-trade-as-he-thrives-in-st-louis
[11] https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/controversy-resurfaces-in-jakub-vrana-trade-as-he-thrives-in-st-louis
Leave a Reply