News broke yesterday prior to game 4 that Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been suspended from the NHL for 6 months.
This afternoon, Insider Frank Seravalli announced that the cause was that he failed an illicit substance test yesterday.
#Avs forward Val Nichushkin has been suspended without pay for a minimum 6 months for violating terms of #NHL/#NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Sources say Nichushkin recently failed a drug test. He missed playoff games last year after a 911 call in Seattle in which an intoxicated woman was found in his room.
Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they will be without one of their top forwards for the second year in a row due to this problem.
