Confirmed with Link: Nichushkin back in assistance program; suspended a minimum of six months

[AvsMakar08]

Isn't the reality here that none of this would be an issue if the hotel incident didn't happen? There are likely coke heads on every team. I'm not even sure the league gives a shit outside of image issues.

I always thought that in the back of the mind that there was someone like Peter Deboer that snitched on Nuke. Who knows. League only tests like what 3 percent of the players or 5 percent of the players in the league. Maybe Nuke himself opened that can of worms and then he was more prone of getting tested again. It will be an interesting season to see what happens with Nuke.

 

[henchman21]

I always thought that in the back of the mind that there was someone like Peter Deboer that snitched on Nuke. Who knows. League only tests like what 3 percent of the players or 5 percent of the players in the league. Maybe Nuke himself opened that can of worms and then he was more prone of getting tested again. It will be an interesting season to see what happens with Nuke.

That’s not how it works.

Coke is very common in the NHL and the Avs are not immune. Not even close.

I don't know man. I have never been around cokeheads. I don't know if they prefer to do it alone or in small groups together for more fun. In a small group it would be safer because if an overdose happens then someone in the group can summon for help.

Coke is very commonly a party drug. Done socially.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm sorry Poke, I'm just going to have to disagree. If I've received bad info and Seattle is in fact the first time Joe and Chris knew Val was doing coke, then I'm sorry. But I don't believe that to be true. Do you really?

If they were aware of his usage, then this is exactly what you pay your management team to do. Minimize risk and maximize reward. Like pinning their hopes on RyJo, this was just the wrong choice (obviously much easier to see in 20/20 but again...this is what a GM is paid to do and look into). And that's okay! There is no GM in any sport that has anything close to a blemish free record. I just want them to learn from it.

A few things.

1. Your timeline seems to suggest that there were GIANT red flags apparent even in the spring of 2022 after the Cup, and there is no evidence to suggest that. In fact, his downward spiral appears to have begun the following season when he battled through a number of injuries.

Yes, he’s a headcase. They knew that. We knew that, and that’s why he was so cheap to pick up in the first place.

2. If doing coke made teams reluctant to sign players to long-term deals, there’d be a looooooooot of players sitting around in free agency every year.

3. I’m sorry but if you’re telling me you would let your best two-way player walk after an absolutely stellar performance that played no small part in securing a championship, I’m simply not going to believe you. You’d do everything possible to keep him. So would I. There was plenty of reason to believe the deal would go sour after a time but NO ONE thought it was going to blow up this badly and this soon.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Yeah but if you would have understood the video Nuke actually said that he was not the only one with sleep problems on the Avs roster. There were a handful of Avs players there were unable to get adequate sleep and only were able to fall a sleep at certain time of the night.

I gave up men's late night beer league hockey a few years ago. 1/3 or more of our games were scheduled at 10 pm or later. So you are off the ice around 11:30-45 or so, then indulge in the obligatory post locker room cool off, drive home and try to go to sleep.

It doesn't happen. You are awake for at least for 1 hr after arriving home. And usually need to be at work at 9:00 am at the latest. Most days, a lot earlier.

I now skate in a lunch league and frankly, feel way better.

I can only imagine the problems that NHLers have with their schedule especially when B2B, home and away series and multiple time zone travel get stacked together.

We just turn the game on TV at 7:00 pm and expect them to be ready to go.

Everyone's body rhythms are different and while many can handle it with lots of discipline, others just can't. I actually feel bad for them. They are pursuing their passion and their dream and then find out that their bodies can't handle it.

And they feel the pressure to turn to drugs and such to help them cope.

Touring musicians suffer through the same types of imbalances and we wonder why they sometimes end up DOA at the emergency room.

So yeah, let's just keep piling on Nuke and all the others while we haughtily pronounce judgement on them.

 

[henchman21]

I gave up men's late night beer league hockey a few years ago. 1/3 or more of our games were scheduled at 10 pm or later. So you are off the ice around 11:30-45 or so, then indulge in the obligatory post locker room cool off, drive home and try to go to sleep.

It doesn't happen. You are awake for at least for 1 hr after arriving home. And usually need to be at work at 9:00 am at the latest. Most days, a lot earlier.

I now skate in a lunch league and frankly, feel way better.

I can only imagine the problems that NHLers have with their schedule especially when B2B, home and away series and multiple time zone travel get stacked together.

We just turn the game on TV at 7:00 pm and expect them to be ready to go.

Everyone's body rhythms are different and while many can handle it with lost of discipline, others just can't. I actually feel bad for them. They are pursuing their passion and their dream and then find out that their bodies can't handle it.

And they feel the pressure to turn to drugs and such to help them cope.

Touring musicians suffer through the same types of imbalances and we wonder why they sometimes end up DOA at the emergency room.

So yeah, let's just keep piling on Nuke and all the others while we haughtily pronounce judgement on them.

Barely anybody would care if Nuke didn’t snort his way out of two playoffs in a row (and away from the team 3 times in 13 months). Many players in the NHL do drugs and many are not great people. Fans don’t really care as long as it isn’t in the headlines and isn’t hurting the team.

This issue is very clear… Nuke is an addict who has yet to show he cares about getting clean. When he does that, empathy will follow. Until then, this charade of sleeping issues and late night gun parties stops most people from having any empathy for him.

 

[dahrougem2]

I gave up men's late night beer league hockey a few years ago. 1/3 or more of our games were scheduled at 10 pm or later. So you are off the ice around 11:30-45 or so, then indulge in the obligatory post locker room cool off, drive home and try to go to sleep.

It doesn't happen. You are awake for at least for 1 hr after arriving home. And usually need to be at work at 9:00 am at the latest. Most days, a lot earlier.

I now skate in a lunch league and frankly, feel way better.

I can only imagine the problems that NHLers have with their schedule especially when B2B, home and away series and multiple time zone travel get stacked together.

We just turn the game on TV at 7:00 pm and expect them to be ready to go.

Everyone's body rhythms are different and while many can handle it with lots of discipline, others just can't. I actually feel bad for them. They are pursuing their passion and their dream and then find out that their bodies can't handle it.

And they feel the pressure to turn to drugs and such to help them cope.

Touring musicians suffer through the same types of imbalances and we wonder why they sometimes end up DOA at the emergency room.

So yeah, let's just keep piling on Nuke and all the others while we haughtily pronounce judgement on them.

Meh. This is the trade off. You want to play a game for a living and be a millionaire with fame and fortune? Get used to this kind of lifestyle. I don't have sympathy.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Barely anybody would care if Nuke didn’t snort his way out of two playoffs in a row (and away from the team 3 times in 13 months). Many players in the NHL do drugs and many are not great people. Fans don’t really care as long as it isn’t in the headlines and isn’t hurting the team.

This issue is very clear… Nuke is an addict who has yet to show he cares about getting clean. When he does that, empathy will follow. Until then, this charade of sleeping issues and late night gun parties stops most people from having any empathy for him.

No. I believe it's their lack of basic human compassion and self righteousness is what stops them.

I've been reading and watching 75 page of comments and have stayed quiet. But the diagnosis of probable neo-divergence finally opened my eyes.

God knows that the Stanley Cup playoffs are far more important than a human being's ability to cope with a serious addiction (as if it's so easy to kick any addiction.)

I think Joe and Chris are handling this as best as they can. A lot of folks here appear ready to push Nuke off the cliff. I guess they can hope they never need the same kind of help.

Meh. This is the trade off. You want to play a game for a living and be a millionaire with fame and fortune? Get used to this kind of lifestyle. I don't have sympathy.

Cold daroughem2. Really cold. People are just assets I guess.

Probably what got to Kurt Cobain, John Belushi and Chris Simon.

 

[dahrougem2]

No. I believe it's their lack of basic human compassion and self righteousness is what stops them.

I've been reading and watching 75 page of comments and have stayed quiet. But the diagnosis of probable neo-divergence finally opened my eyes.

God knows that the Stanley Cup playoffs are far more important than a human being's ability to cope with a serious addiction (as if it's so easy to kick any addiction.)

I think Joe and Chris are handling this as best as they can. A lot of folks here appear ready to push Nuke off the cliff. I guess they can hope they never need the same kind of help.


Cold daroughem2. Really cold. People are just assets I guess.

Probably what got to Kurt Cobain, John Belushi and Chris Simon.

Life could be a hell of a lot worse for Val. I don't have sympathy for people like Nichushkin who have every possible tool at their disposal to get their lives on track and don't, when there are so many others out there with little-to-no access to help and are desperate for a change.

 

[henchman21]

No. I believe it's their lack of basic human compassion and self righteousness is what stops them.

I've been reading and watching 75 page of comments and have stayed quiet. But the diagnosis of probable neo-divergence finally opened my eyes.

God knows that the Stanley Cup playoffs are far more important than a human being's ability to cope with a serious addiction (as if it's so easy to kick any addiction.)

I think Joe and Chris are handling this as best as they can. A lot of folks here appear ready to push Nuke off the cliff. I guess they can hope they never need the same kind of help.


Cold daroughem2. Really cold. People are just assets I guess.

Probably what got to Kurt Cobain, John Belushi and Chris Simon.

There was human compassion prior. Sure one offs exist, but last May the difference was stark compared to this summer. What happened in between was a bender in the Florida of Russia, lies about the issue, getting busted again, more lies, and busted a third time which happened for the 2nd playoffs in a row. When your methhead cousin/friend steals from you a 3rd time, you naturally take a different stance than the first. Nuke has all the resources available to him, and he does nothing with them. Until he wants to get better, he won't.

This also goes further back with Nuke... there are reasons he burnt bridges in the KHL, why he left the NHL in the first place, and why he had issues early in his career with the Stars.

 

[ABasin]

No. I believe it's their lack of basic human compassion and self righteousness is what stops them.

I mean no offense, but in my opinion, it is your response that smells self-righteous.

People have every right to not wish to tolerate another person’s addiction anymore. And ultimately to make the choice to separate themselves from the addict in the midst of his/her self destruction. They have a right to simply say the price is too high.

It does not make them self righteous.
It does not mean they lack compassion.

It just means they’ve had enough. They have that right.

 

[Pokecheque]

Some accountability from Nuke would be nice, he has yet to acknowledge any responsibility for his multiple failures. And he won't recover in any sustainable way until he does. There's a reason any recovery program requires people to own up to their mistakes and make amends.

 

[henchman21]

I mean no offense, but in my opinion, it is your response that smells self-righteous.

People have every right to not wish to deal with another person’s addiction anymore. And ultimately to make the choice to separate themselves from the addict in the midst of his/her self destruction. They have a right to simply say the price is too high.

It does not make them self righteous.
It does not mean they lack compassion.

It just means they’ve had enough. They have that right.

If Nuke called a press conference tomorrow and simply said:

"I want to apologize to my teammates, the Avalanche, their fans, and most importantly my family. The past couple years I have had an issue with addiction. It has brought a lot of pain to my family, hurt my teammates and the organization, and I know I let the fans of the Colorado Avalanche down. I tried to deflect from the real issue and not accept responsibility. I do now. I am taking steps to not only get a hold of this addiction, but ensure it never happens again. I have entered into an intensive rehabilitation program. I'm working with my family and support group to ensure I don't have temptation in the future. I want to get better, and I want to be shining example of how you can overcome addiction and continue to have a successful career. I may not succeed. As you know I have already relapsed and the odds are against me. Please know that whatever may happen, I am doing all I can to win this battle."

There would be a ton of empathy and support shown. What we get instead is last summer he went on a bender pretending to be a Russian gangster. This summer we get a tour of Europe and a video series where he's shifting the blame to anywhere else he can, but especially the Avs.

 

[Balthazar]

If Nuke called a press conference tomorrow and simply said:

"I want to apologize to my teammates, the Avalanche, their fans, and most importantly my family. The past couple years I have had an issue with addiction. It has brought a lot of pain to my family, hurt my teammates and the organization, and I know I let the fans of the Colorado Avalanche down. I tried to deflect from the real issue and not accept responsibility. I do now. I am taking steps to not only get a hold of this addiction, but ensure it never happens again. I have entered into an intensive rehabilitation program. I'm working with my family and support group to ensure I don't have temptation in the future. I want to get better, and I want to be shining example of how you can overcome addiction and continue to have a successful career. I may not succeed. As you know I have already relapsed and the odds are against me. Please know that whatever may happen, I am doing all I can to win this battle."

There would be a ton of empathy and support shown. What we get instead is last summer he went on a bender pretending to be a Russian gangster. This summer we get a tour of Europe and a video series where he's shifting the blame to anywhere else he can, but especially the Avs.

I'm not sure the team wants that.

Nuke did say that the Avs were the ones that were trying to sweep the Seattle thing under the rug and didn't want him to answer any question the following season. Considering how secrecy is important for that organisation it's not hard to believe.

Now I don't think for a second that he'd have told the truth if he were allowed to talk anyway but that's another story.

 

[henchman21]

I'm not sure the team wants that.

Nuke did say that the Avs were the ones that were trying to sweep the Seattle thing under the rug and didn't want him to answer any question the following season. Considering how secrecy is important for that organisation it's not hard to believe.

Now I don't think for a second that he'd have told the truth if he were allowed to talk anyway but that's another story.

Very safe to assume that. They didn't want Girard in the program to avoid the PR issue. I'm simply saying that Nuke opening up, being honest and transparent while accepting responsibility would change the view point drastically. As long as he says what he is saying and does what he does, he (deservedly) will get scorned.

 

[Pokecheque]

Very safe to assume that. They didn't want Girard in the program to avoid the PR issue. I'm simply saying that Nuke opening up, being honest and transparent while accepting responsibility would change the view point drastically. As long as he says what he is saying and does what he does, he (deservedly) will get scorned.

Yeah, Sammy came clean and showed genuine remorse for his actions, and as such no one is really giving him shit for his stint in the program and absence from the team. Nuke has done nothing of the sort.

And Nuke is not under full control of the Avs, he can say whatever the hell he wants. If he just came out and acknowledged SOME responsibilty for his actions, it'd go a long way with the fans.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I've been all over the map on Nuke but I've been consistent in my support of him as human and my desire for him to get clean if for nothing more than his daughter.

I say this because I've dealt with addiction. It is important to remember that you can still love and support an addict, be it a friend, family member or coworker) and at the same time refuse to engage in or break off any business related adventures. There is an absolutely MASSIVE difference between providing love and support for an addict vs letting yourself be dependent on them for your business operations and ultimately enabling them continue their self and team destructive behavior along the way. In fact... tough love, may even prove to be the better form of love when it comes to dealing with addiction. Providing all the love and support for healthy things, but also deny them the ablity to further ruin your own business operations, whether it be financially or competitively.

 

[HartKinnon]

That's the craziest thing to me. They already knew by then he was a problem waiting to go off, AND they already got a cup out of him. WTF did they sign him for so long and with any type of movement protection? This whole situation was self-inflicted by Joe and Chris. I can't say I haven't derived some pleasure from the fact that they are squirming right now and will be for some time... I just hope they actually learn from this.

If i remember correctly the doctor who decided to call police/ambulance in the Seattle blow this thing wide open. Without that call there wouldnt be these problems and Nuke could relax like many others NHL-players apparently. I cant put blame on Avs management for this.

 

[henchman21]

If i remember correctly the doctor who decided to call police/ambulance in the Seattle blow this thing wide open. Without that call there wouldnt be these problems and Nuke could relax like many others NHL-players apparently. I cant put blame on Avs management for this.

For this, this doctor was 'not renewed.'

On the bolded... they deserve scorn too. They put up, tolerate, and fix these issues for players instead of actually trying to help. They actively tried to convince Girard to stay out of the program. They covered up for Nuke a few times before. There are stories with others that involve substance abuse and legal issues. This isn't abnormal in the NHL, most (if not all) teams do it. But don't think for a second that the Avs didn't enable.

 

[DanishAvsfan]

If he's truly neodivergent.... which sounds plausible to me...... then the NHL hockey regimen is ruining his health and drugs are the way he's trying to cope.

This is serious. This is tragic. He needs to find another profession. Otherwise he's gonna end up in an early grave.

I just want to clarify that I don't have the qualifications to diagnose psychiatric conditions. Therefore, I have absolutely no possibility to diagnose Nuke, especially not from a distance.

However, I have a child who has severe ADHD and is on the autism spectrum. So, I have a lot of experience parenting and caring for a neurodivergent person and I have taken courses and read a lot about both diagnoses.

So, while I expressed myself rather confidently, I obviously don't know that he has a neurodivergent condition. His behavioural pattern could be derived from other issues and causes. However, I think it is important that we at least consider the possibility that he is neurodivergent, which means that he experiences life differently.
Even if he is neurodivergent the singlemost important issue for his qualify of life and social relations is that he recieves a diagnosis, which will allow him to get treatment and crucially for people to understand his behaviour and his experience of the world. If I was his boss, and if cared for him and he was such an important an assett, and he displayed the behavioural pattern he does, I would do everything I could to provide him with a diagnosis and a plan for his treatment. I would push for him to be open about it with his team mates and other co-workers such that they could support and help him. In other words, his inability to stay clean could be a symtom of underlying issues, which are perfectly treatable and should be talked about and dealt with rationally. The problem with simply making moral judgement about his behaviour is that people give up on actually understanding and dealing with any problems. Now, I have no clue, as in no clue, if psychological or neuro-psychological condition are frowned upon, or seen as a weakness in the context of the NHL. It is possible that players hide such issues out of fear of being dropped and losing their career given how hyper-competitive it is.

I remember when Colin Wilson came out and revealed that he suffered from serious OCD and I imagine many other players have underlying conditions. For most they are probably what makes them such good athletes, but for others they become debilitating and ruin their careers.

But again I admit that it is all speculation on my part. In my defence, this is just a forum where we debate stuff and speculate anyways.

 

[Pokecheque]

If he's truly neodivergent.... which sounds plausible to me...... then the NHL hockey regimen is ruining his health and drugs are the way he's trying to cope.

This is serious. This is tragic. He needs to find another profession. Otherwise he's gonna end up in an early grave.

Are you trying to say neurodivergent? Apologies in advance if I'm misunderstanding but I don't know what "neodivergent" is.

Are you implying he's on the spectrum, or just saying he might suffer from something like, say, ADHD? Because I have severe ADHD and also a long track record of addiction in my family. And it's true that people with ADHD tend to have traits that can lead to addiction--me included--but that's still no excuse.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

For this, this doctor was 'not renewed.'

On the bolded... they deserve scorn too. They put up, tolerate, and fix these issues for players instead of actually trying to help. They actively tried to convince Girard to stay out of the program. They covered up for Nuke a few times before. There are stories with others that involve substance abuse and legal issues. This isn't abnormal in the NHL, most (if not all) teams do it. But don't think for a second that the Avs didn't enable.

And this is what I'm really driving at when I'm dinging the Avs management. And as you said, it is definitely not something that is limited to the Avalanche organization, it is a league wide issue. But since I'm an Avs fan, I'm posting my league thoughts as they pertain to the Avs here.

It's one thing to setup a program to help and support players going through problems. It's a whole other ballgame when you start covering up for players on things that would normally put them into the program. Then there's the new allegations that the Avs tried to stop Girard from entering the program. This was a dude on his own that figured out he was struggling and needed help, and now I'm hearing the Avs tried to tell him to go get f***ed instead?

This is getting a bit beyond the just, "not cool, man" area and more into the "is this shit even legal?" category.

 

[DanishAvsfan]

And this is what I'm really driving at when I'm dinging the Avs management. And as you said, it is definitely not something that is limited to the Avalanche organization, it is a league wide issue. But since I'm an Avs fan, I'm posting my league thoughts as they pertain to the Avs here.

It's one thing to setup a program to help and support players going through problems. It's a whole other ballgame when you start covering up for players on things that would normally put them into the program. Then there's the new allegations that the Avs tried to stop Girard from entering the program. This was a dude on his own that figured out he was struggling and needed help, and now I'm hearing the Avs tried to tell him to go get f***ed instead?

This is getting a bit beyond the just, "not cool, man" area and more into the "is this shit even legal?" category.

Yeah, it is in the very least extremely immoral and most likely counterproductive. I don’t know about the law in the US, but in Denmark if it could be proved that your employer tried to prevent you from seaking treatment, it could be brought to court.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Russian National Team Scout: Nichushkin Will Be Back With Avalanche In November

And so continues the saga of Valeri Nichushkin. The Avalanche winger, who is currently suspended until November while he’s in stage three of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, is still under contract with the Colorado Avalanche until 2030. With all the drama surrounding the winger, it’s...

coloradohockeynow.com

 

[Alienblood]

Russian National Team Scout: Nichushkin Will Be Back With Avalanche In November

And so continues the saga of Valeri Nichushkin. The Avalanche winger, who is currently suspended until November while he’s in stage three of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, is still under contract with the Colorado Avalanche until 2030. With all the drama surrounding the winger, it’s...

coloradohockeynow.com

Shows the top players are behind him

 

[dahrougem2]

Shows the top players are behind him

Well then let's hope ownership gets its way and he is booted to the moon, never to play for the Avs again.