Valeri Nichushkin (l.) has successfully led the Avalanche through the playoffs so far. © APA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Shortly before the start of the game: Personal drama surrounding the NHL goalscorer

NHL star Valeri Nichushkin will no longer be allowed to play ice hockey for a very long time. However, the reason and timing of the ban are unusual.

14 Maj 2024

From: fop/dpa

As the National Hockey League and the players' union NHLPA announced on Monday evening (local time) - just an hour before the 1:5 in the playoff series between Nichushkin's Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars - the 29-year-old Russian is again in the so-called support program the league. He was in level three, it said without giving any further details.

This means that Nichushkin, who landed in the program for the second time this season, violated its rules and has now been suspended for six months without pay.

Were drugs involved?

The NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, as the program is called in English, has existed since 1996 and is intended for players and their families who need help. These also include psychological problems such as alcohol and drug abuse. The program offers access to therapists and guarantees confidentiality. That's why the details will only become public if the affected players themselves decide to talk about it. This is not the case with Nichushkin. However, North American media, including the New York Post, from a drug test as a trigger for the NHL intervention.

Top playoff scorer

Nichushkin is the Avalanche's leading scorer with nine goals in the playoffs so far. He has already missed two months of the season because he was looked after by the support program. There was also no further information about the circumstances for this absence from January to March. There were negative headlines about the Russian as early as 2023; alcohol was said to have been involved at that time.

Valeri Nichushkin (front right) won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022. © APA/getty / Julio Aguilar

With the Avalanche's loss, the series is now 3-1 for Dallas. A team needs four wins to advance to the Conference Finals. The Carolina Hurricanes had previously beaten the New York Rangers 4-1 and reduced the series to 2-3 after wins.