Colorado Avalanche’s Russian hockey player Valery Nichushkin announced that he left the team during the play-offs of the last season of the National Hockey League (NHL). His words were quoted by The Athletic journalist Peter Bau on his social networks.
“It was for family reasons. I know you want to find something there, but there’s nothing interesting there. I think we should close this case. It’s a new season,” Nichushkin said.
Nichushkin only played in two NHL playoff games. The club explained his absence as personal reasons. Journalists also wrote that there were some alcohol-related incidents with Nichushkin.
Later, The Denver Post wrote that an unknown girl was found while checking the hockey player’s room at a hotel in Seattle. The team doctor felt he was too drunk to leave the hotel safely in a taxi. The girl stated that she was a citizen of Ukraine. The club called the rescue service. The girl was later taken to hospital. Her presence at the hotel that evening was included in the police report.
formerly journalist compared hockey player Nichushkin with Kokorin.