Police Report Could Shine Light On Absence Of Avs' Valeri Nichushkin

As of early Friday evening, the Colorado Avalanche had yet to address a report concerning an incident that occurred at the team's hotel in Seattle earlier this month and involved winger Valeri Nichushkin.

The Associated Press obtained a police report that revealed authorities were called to the Avalanche's hotel ahead of Game 3 against the Seattle Kraken. Police responded at 3:44 in the afternoon, just a few hours before puck drop.

Upon arrival, they found a heavily intoxicated woman in an ambulance. Ambulance workers referred them to Colorado's team doctor, Dr. Bradley Changstrom.

Changstrom told police that the team had found the woman while checking on Nichuskin. He told first responders that the woman was too intoxicated to leave the hotel in a ride-share or cab service. That was why they called the ambulance, which took her to a nearby hospital.

The woman told police that she was Russian but had been born in Ukraine. She also reportedly hit Changstrom, though he declined to press charges.

According to The Seattle Times, the Avalanche travel with two Denver Police officers for security purposes. One of them Denver Police Lt. Todd Fuller said no criminal activity occurred inside the room aside from the heavily intoxicated woman.

Nichuskin did not skate the day before the incident, but the team called that a maintenance day. However, he was not in the lineup for Game 3 or any game since. It was after Game 3 that Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar began saying Nichushkin was away from the team for personal reasons.

He reiterated this on Friday ahead of Game 6 in Seattle, which is an elimination game for Colorado.

Nicushkin had one goal in the two playoff games he appeared in this year.

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