Alex Galchenyuk to enter assistance program, apologizes to police - ESPN

Alex Galchenyuk is entering the NHL and NHLPA's player assistance program after being arrested last week, sources told ESPN, and has apologized to police for his «deeply disrespectful and despicable behavior.»

Galchenyuk was arrested July 9 in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a hit and run incident that resulted in the Arizona Coyotes terminating his contract just 13 days after signing the 29-year-old as a free agent.

According to the police report, Galchenyuk made violent threats to officers after apparently crashing a car into a sign. The report said Galchenyuk used racial slurs toward an officer-in-training several times and cited his connections in Russia while not cooperating.

«One phone call and you're all dead, your whole family, your blood line is dead,» Galchenyuk told officers, according to the report.

Galchenyuk reached out to four Scottsdale police officers via a letter sent through a prosecutor, which was obtained by ESPN, to apologize, saying he knows he has «a long road ahead of me.»

Sources told ESPN that Galchenyuk could enter the player assistance program as early as Tuesday.

Galchenyuk was booked on misdemeanor charges and released on his own recognizance. At the time of the arrest, he was with his father, Alexander Galchenyuk Sr., a former professional hockey player who runs his son's offseason training. They were celebrating Galchenyuk's new opportunity with the Coyotes that day.

In his letter to the Scottsdale Police Department officers, Galchenyuk said they «did not deserve that outburst» and he was «sorry for the pain that it had caused.»

«My actions after drinking alcohol were not representative of who I am, but I must take responsibility for them and I hope to one day be able to show you that I am a