DENVER (AP) — Suspended Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin was added to the Avalanche's active roster and will make his season debut Friday night against Washington.
Nichushkin recently returned to the team after being placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program six months ago. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday after the morning skate that Nichushkin's “in a good spot, and we’re excited to have him back.”
The suspension of Nichushkin was announced in the middle of Colorado's playoff loss to Dallas. It was the second straight postseason the 29-year-old Russian right winger was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice. He also abruptly left the team in a 2023 first-round playoff series against Seattle for what was described as personal reasons.
In May, Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay. The stage 3 designation of the league’s player assistance program means he violated terms of the program that provides help for everything from mental health needs to substance abuse.
The Avalanche sit at 9-8 despite missing Nichushkin and being hit early by injuries.
“He’s our friend. He's a great guy to be around,” forward Nathan MacKinnon said. “He’s just a great teammate, obviously a hell of a player. Really, really happy he’s back, and it’s a big boost for us for sure.”
Nichushkin is under contract through the 2029-30 season after signing an eight-year, $49 million contract with the team in 2022. He had a career-best 28 goals last year in 54 regular-season games.
“Seeing him here every day, he’s in a good place right now,” defenseman Cale Makar said. “He’s done the work for the last six months or so. It’s great to see where he’s at now. It seems like he’s a happy guy. So it’s good.”
MacKinnon echoed that thought.
“Looks great. He’s healthy. He’s happy,” MacKinnon said. “Seems like he’s in a great mood and great place. I’m sure he’s really excited to do what he loves again.”
The banged-up Avalanche are trending closer and closer to full health, with Jonathan Drouin (upper body) and Miles Wood (upper body) returning Friday against the Capitals. The Avalanche are still missing Ross Colton (broken foot) and captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee), while goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Landeskog, who turns 32 on Nov. 23, has been sidelined by a knee injury since helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. He underwent a cartilage transplant procedure in his knee on May 10, 2023, in an effort to return.
There's still no timetable for when Landeskog may play. But on Friday Landeskog was gliding around the ice at practice and went through some puck-passing drills.
“Usually when he’s out there, you start wondering what it would be like to have him back,” Bednar said. “We’re not quite there yet, but I think anytime he gets on with the ice with our guys, and he’s around the room more, it helps.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere, center, collects the puck as Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, left, and defenseman Cale Makar cover in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, front, drives past Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence in the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin celebrates his goal during the second period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Feb. 4, 2020, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to head the Interior Department. Some things to know about the two-term Republican governor of a sparsely populated state:
Burgum, 68, grew up in tiny Arthur, North Dakota, population 328. He earned a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University and his master’s of business administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
He went on to become a wealthy software executive. He led Great Plains Software, which Microsoft acquired for $1.1 billion in 2001. Burgum stayed on as a vice president until 2007. He's also led other companies in real estate development and venture capital.
In 2016, Burgum ran for governor, his first campaign for elected office. He touted a message of “reinventing” government as the state dealt with a massive revenue shortfall.
In a major upset, Burgum defeated North Dakota's longtime attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He handily won his first term in the strong Republican state, which has about 784,000 residents.
He was easily reelected in 2020.
Burgum has taken a business-oriented bent as governor of North Dakota, where agriculture and oil are the main industries. He's pushed income tax cuts, reduced regulations, and changes to animal agriculture laws and higher education governance. Burgum also emphasized a “data-driven” approach to governing, advocated for a Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in the state and prioritized engagement with tribal nations.
Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, have been public about her recovery from addiction, and as governor he has prioritized resources for addiction treatment.
Burgum is known as a policy wonk who works long hours and is highly inquisitive.
He has largely resisted wading into social issues, such as anti-LGBTQ measures pushed by members of his own party, vetoing a few such bills in 2021 and 2023. But also in 2023, as he was planning a run for president, he signed a pile of bills opponents said targeted transgender people. They included a ban on gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender kids, sports bans for transgender athletes, and transgender restrictions in schools.
Burgum ran for president from June to December 2023. He campaigned on priorities of energy, economy and national security, but dropped out after his bid failed to resonate.
He appeared in two Republican debates — including the first, which he attended after hurting his Achilles tendon playing basketball. He drew attention for his campaign offering $20 gift cards to people who would donate $1 to his campaign so he would have enough individual donors to make the debate stage.
In January, before the Iowa caucuses, he endorsed Trump. The same month, he declined to seek a third term as governor.
When he entered office in December 2016, he dealt with the final months of the sometimes-chaotic protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. He's led the state through terrible droughts and crippling storms.
He was the face of North Dakota's response to the coronavirus pandemic, holding dozens of press conferences, many of them daily in early 2020, including an emotional plea about face masks. He and his wife publicly received their COVID vaccinations in 2021.
Last year, amid his presidential campaign, Burgum called a special session for the Legislature to deal with a budget mess weeks after the state Supreme Court voided a crucial bill, putting some state funding in jeopardy.
__
This story was first published on Nov. 14, 2024. It was updated on Nov. 15, 2024, to correct Burgum’s age. He is 68, not 67.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum arrives before President-elect Donald Trump at an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
