From The Silky Mitten State: A discussion of the questions raised about the efficacy of the NHL's Player Assistance Program by Valeri Nichushkin's suspension
From The Silky Mitten State: A discussion of the questions raised about the efficacy of the NHL's Player Assistance Program by Valeri Nichushkin's suspension
About an hour before the start of Game 4 of the second round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, the NHL announced a suspension to Avs winger Valeri Nichushkin, banning him for six months without pay and placing him in Stage III of the league's Player Assistance Program.
On the latest episode of The Silky Mitten State, my co-host Connor Earegood and I discussed the matter of Nichushkin's suspension, which is certainly a complex one, and despite those nuances, our central takeaway was a disappointment at the sense that the league is punishing a player for his struggles with addiction and substance use disorder in the name of what is ostensibly the "Player Assistance Program."
For Nichushkin, this is the second consecutive postseason in which he was unable to participate by the time Colorado was eliminated. Last spring, during the Avalanche's first round series against the Seattle Kraken, Nichushkin missed the final five games after a crisis call to his hotel room on the day of Game 3, which required a 28-year-old woman to be transported from the hotel by EMS after a team physician told local police she was too intoxicated to be removed in a ride share or hotel.
In questioning the present suspension to Nichushkin, I don't mean to suggest he deserves no culpability for his actions, particularly that incident from last spring. However, a player should not be punished because they are battling with addiction; instead they are deserving of care from the league and players association, which does not appear to be the case in its current incarnation. That is something that needs to be addressed imminently, particularly considering what we know about the prevalence of substance abuse within the sport of hockey.
For a video excerpt of our conversation, check out the clip above. For the full episode, go to Spotify or Apple Podcasts:
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