Before failing a drug test in May and getting suspended for six months, Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin opened up in an exclusive interview with Russian YouTuber Mikhail Cherkasov regarding a much-publicized incident from 2023.
Nichushkin, who is currently Phase 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and is ineligible to play until at least November, left the team once before Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Seattle Kraken and didn’t return for the remainder of the series. The Avalanche ultimately lost in seven games in that 2023 series, failing to defend their Stanley Cup championship.