Athletistic/Hockey. Valery Nichushkin let the team down. Nichushkin failed the test for banned substances and pharmacology. In North America, two versions immediately began distribution.
Some believed the Russian was addicted to painkillers, which he began taking again during the championship playoffs. Another version is also related to addiction, but to sedatives, because of which he allegedly participated in a player assistance program in January. The real reason is still unknown, but the Colorado players didn’t like that Valéry let his teammates down for the third time.
“He made his decision. That’s all I can say,” said Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson.
“There’s still over 20 guys in this locker room who care, who want to win. It hurts our team. There’s no doubt about it,” Colorado head coach Bednar said.
Journalists were not so restrained in their criticism of Nichushkin and called on the club’s management to part with the player.
First, because the forward let the team down for the third time in 12 months, which initially helped him stay in the NHL, revive his career, win the Cup, receive a huge contract, then not paying attention to all the strange stories. by Nichushkin. In addition, journalist Sean Keeler reminded that the Avalanche’s championship window will soon close. Colorado’s leaders are gradually starting to lose their peak form. Thus, Nathan MacKinnon will be 29 years old in September, a month later Mikko Rantanen will be 28 years old and Landeskog is already 31 years old.
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar met with the media following his team’s elimination from the playoffs.
The coach of the Denver team spoke frankly about the difficulties encountered by the club, in particular due to the disqualification of Valery Nichushkin.
“It’s not nice to be faced with such uncertainty because it makes planning difficult. Management will clarify things with these guys as soon as they can, and then we’ll work together to come up with a plan on what ‘next to be done,’ he said. said.
Nichushkin’s suspension left a negative mark on the Avalanche’s playoff efforts. Bednar acknowledged that to move forward effectively, this issue as well as Landeskog’s must be resolved.
“We hope to have answers and understand the current situation. We need to understand if we can continue to rely on these players. Obviously, they eat up a significant part of the salary budget. I don’t know how things will develop this summer. “C “It’s a big challenge for the club,” Bednar said.
Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months after entering the third phase of the NHL’s player assistance program. He missed the decisive second round series against the Dallas Stars.
Interestingly, Nichushkin still ranks first in goals among all participants in the current NHL playoff cycle.
Nichushkin has 9 goals. Zach Hyman (Edmonton) has the same number of goals, but he has played two more games. And among the hockey players whose teams have already reached the semifinals, the closest to Nichushkin are Chris Kreider (Rangers) and Wyatt Johnston (Dallas), who have 7 goals each.
Source: Sport
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
