According to reports, Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov was in court, facing chargers of second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault on domestic abuse allegations by his girlfriend. His girlfriend had bruises that matched the physical encounter, according to a police report.
Varlamov has been ordered to stay away from his girlfriend and not contact her. He was also ordered to relinquish any firearms in his possessions. He surrendered to the police Wednesday over the abuse allegations.
The couple have a history of domestic disturbances. Jack Abrams, the attorney for the girlfriend, says this is the fourth or fifth time they've had run-ins with one another. They have been together for four years since meeting in Russia.
The Avalanche sent out a statement reading: "The Colorado Avalanche organization is aware of the allegations concerning Semyon Varlamov. At this time, and until the conclusion of this investigation, the Avalanche organization will have no further comment on this situation."
Varlamov has led to a 10-1 start and is 7-1 in the games that he has started. He's played in the NHL for five seasons and the Avs picked him up in a July 2011 trade with the Washington Capitals.
Forward P.A. Parenteau says "He's a big part of what we've been doing so far, a huge part, actually. So we're behind him and hopefully it will take care of itself."
Unfortunately, I'm not behind P.A. Parenteau and I don't like what Semyon Varlamov did, if it is indeed true. Look, if this didn't want to come out, maybe he shouldn't have gone to her house in the first place. This is a woman, who you cannot do any physical violence against. So anybody who wants to defend Semyon Varlamov, I wish they would take a different approach. I understand that these are his teammates and they're supposed to support him, but not for this. You cannot support anything that involves physically hurting a woman. You cannot defend a man who does this and it'll be very hard for him to redeem. You. Do. Not. Defend. Physical. Violence. Against. The. Other. Gender. I can't believe I had to say those in just one words. I'm sorry, but I have less respect for Varlamov. I hope this is untrue, but until I hear otherwise, I'm going to believe the girlfriend. Physical violence on the ice should not translate to physical violence off the ice. Semyon Varlamov did not follow this thought and he's facing the law because of it.
As for the next few games, who knows what'll happen to the Avalanche? They've been able to get to this hot start because of Varlamov, as well as their defense. I don't expect Varlamov to play in the next few games and I don't think he should anyway. As for that, I believe J.S. Giguere will be getting the start Friday in Dallas. For Saturday, it's a toss-up. If Varlamov is available to play Saturday, they'll probably play him, even though I don't think they should. Either way, they're going to have to make up for this. They should not play Varlamov for the foreseeable future because of his actions. I think any kind of physical violence, whether reported or not, should be suspendable. So in that case, Semyon Varlamov, I hope he gets suspended, whether by the Avs or by the league.
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