Colorado Avalanche player Valeri Nichushkin misses game after getting hurt in car accident

A forward on the Colorado Avalanche did not play in Monday's game because he was in a car accident in the morning. Valeri Nichushkin didn't go to the hospital and suffered what his coach called minor injuries.

"He got in a car wreck on the way to the rink, to the game," Coach Jared Bednar said after the Avalanche's 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals at Ball Arena in Denver.

"He had some minor injuries. Came to the rink, got checked out and everything seems to be okay. Just not good enough to play."

Bednar described Nichushkin's absence on the ice as "kind of a precautionary thing."

"We'll see what tomorrow brings for him," Bednar said.

Bednar didn't have much information other than saying the roads were icy after an overnight snowfall and that it was a multi-vehicle accident.

"It was a fender bender, but serious enough to keep him out of lineup," Bednar said. "I'm sorry, I don't know all the details."

Nichushkin missed eight games this season with a lower-body injury. He has 11 goals and 16 assists.

The 30-year-old Nichushkin drew a suspension of at least six months in May 2024 and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The announcement came in the middle of Colorado's playoff run that year, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice.

He played in just 43 games last season but was still fifth on the team with 21 goals. It was the third 20-goal season of his career.