The National Hockey League has been embroiled in a somewhat mysterious controversy for several weeks now, one that has continued since Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin took a leave of absence in the middle of the Cup playoffs Stanley.
Nichushkin was involved in a bizarre incident with an unidentified woman at a Seattle hotel on April 22, coincidentally the same day the Avalanche were scheduled to face the Kraken in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup first-round playoff series . We understand that law enforcement was called to the scene and the woman can be heard claiming that her passport was stolen by a “bad man” on recently released police body camera footage.
Despite the fact that a player was forced to leave in the middle of a playoff series, the NHL has remained very quiet on this issue, but over the weekend, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy -NHL Commissioner Bill Daly faced the media and the subject was discussed. Nichushkin was once again brought to the forefront.
When asked about what appears to be a potentially serious incident, Bill Daly just laughed at the whole situation.
“There is no ongoing investigation into the Nichushkin incident,” Daly said Saturday. “We know exactly what happened. It was handled appropriately at club level and, I think, at league level. He is eligible to play in the league.”
You can hear Bill Daly’s response in his own words at the 50-second short clip below.
