Steroids in Hockey

[Louisville 112]

Yahoo article

Former hockey player Justin Bourne has a really good article on steroid use in hockey. What do you guys think? Is testing adequate? Does it bother you that some players might cheat? It might not be a huge problem but I think makes a good point that there is a fine line between a NHL contract which means 10 times as much money - from the AHL minimum $35,000 to the NHL minimum of $500,000 and some players are willing to take the risk.

My favorite: "Gary Bettman thinks that having only one positive steroid test under the NHL's current system is a testament to how "effective and meaningful" the program has been."

He really can't help but pat himself on the back whenever possible.

Then I walked into a teammate's bedroom one day and saw his "medical kit." It didn't blow my mind, but it definitely caught me off-guard. It would be the first and last time I ever saw steroid paraphernalia, but it was just the beginning of my awareness that the occasional player in professional hockey cheats.

That blind pursuit of a better opportunity or better contract was something I came to understand and grudgingly accept. But I stopped being so understanding when guys like him started climbing up our organization's depth chart.

The number of players using steroids in our sport is nowhere near as all-or-nothing as the polarizing figures on either side of this contentious debate would have you believe.

But, the topic came up more and more in the last year or two of my playing days, so it's time we face a reality: the use of performance-enhancing drugs is happening in hockey and we should get out in front of it.

Frankly, I have no idea what the numbers for users would look like - I always knew a teammate or two on every professional team that I was a part of who was on the gas, and there was usually another player most guys suspected beyond that.

Were there more flying under the radar that we were oblivious to? It's possible, but I doubt it.

[sputman 1,268]

Yahoo article

Former hockey player Justin Bourne has a really good article on steroid use in hockey. What do you guys think? Is testing adequate? Does it bother you that some players might cheat? It might not be a huge problem but I think makes a good point that there is a fine line between a NHL contract which means 10 times as much money - from the AHL minimum $35,000 to the NHL minimum of $500,000 and some players are willing to take the risk.

My favorite: "Gary Bettman thinks that having only one positive steroid test under the NHL's current system is a testament to how "effective and meaningful" the program has been."

He really can't help but pat himself on the back whenever possible.

i always suspected martin lapointe. i have no basis for this other than i remember reading about how (when on the wings - i haven't followed him much after he left) he used to be able to lift a ridiculous amount of weight in the weight-room. plus he always seemed to blow up on the ice.

again, i have no other basis for this other than how strong he was made out to be and his short temper. but that could be a lot of players in the league. but that also could mean..

[egroen 384]

but that also could mean..

Hudler????

[SweWings 45]

Hudler????

He wrote short temper not just short. Hudler doesn't apply

[Shady Ultima 40]

That article is pretty enlightening. I'm sure there are many players who do, and he has a point, you can build a lot of leg muscle using steroids, making you that much quicker and stronger on the ice.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2010/09/10/15315191.html Edited September 17, 2010 by CaliWingsNut

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

The League's "please-pee-in-the-cup" policy is a joke.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I've always suspected Brind'Amour...

[RedWingsFan13 0]

Obviously steroid use in Hockey would give a player a physical edge, but no amount of steroids will give a player Hockey skill.

It is from this form of thinking that I believe steroid use IS within Hockey, but not like a cancer that it is to other sports.

Hockey requires much more than physical strength alone and because of that I don't think a lot of players are using.

Now if they had a pill that made you shoot better, well, we all know what would happen.

I also believe the "new" Hockey has rules in place that prevent excessive physical play. I'm not arguing if these new rules are good or bad for the sport, merely stating that they exist. This could be a deterrent for a young player to even consider using "juice". Some will always look for an edge, but it is in my opinion that Hockey is not a sport that you can gain a tremendous advantage in by using steroids. Still it should be watched and proper punishments should be handed out accordingly.

[Electrophile 3,554]

I understand steroids' appeal in baseball. What I don't understand is how steroids would help a hockey player, aside from the injury recovery time. Obviously hockey players need to be strong, but don't they also need to be somewhat agile as well? Barry Bonds on skates would be a hindrance to a team, I would think.

[Finnish Wing 110]

I've heard that the testing in the NHL is an absolute joke. Teams get informed three months earlier about tests etc. Dunno how much about that is true though.

[MacK_Attack 108]

I've always suspected Brind'Amour...

Yeah - one could see how you would come to that conclusion - the guy was super lean, and unbelievably muscular.

The biggest thing that would make you suspect Brind'Amour (other than his sheer size) is how quickly his game fell off once steroid testing came in.

[Slabby 3]

I understand steroids' appeal in baseball. What I don't understand is how steroids would help a hockey player, aside from the injury recovery time. Obviously hockey players need to be strong, but don't they also need to be somewhat agile as well? Barry Bonds on skates would be a hindrance to a team, I would think.

How you are on the roids is more a function of how you train. Bonds was mostly concerned with hitting home runs, and with his media visibility on the issue, it's easy to associate a steroid user with a big, bulky guy.

But at the same time, all of the guys in the Tour De France are on roids, HGH, etc. Most olympic-level sprinters are. Running backs, wide receivers, etc. It doesn't reduce your agility itself, it's just the case that most roiders don't care about it. It can allow you do to more and better bench presses, but you can do more and better squats and more and better plyometrics or sprints as well. The big helper would also be olympic lifts (like cleans and so on), which really give you a strong first stride.

Now, do I think NHL players are all on the juice? No. That said, there is a way to be not "on steroids" but have high-normal testosterone levels, and I think that this practice is very much widespread in the sports world. By this, I mean HRT (hormone replacement therapy). Being on HRT is essentially a license to take steroids, as long as you don't take too much. I might take some flak on these forums for it, but it's a virtue certainty that Chelios and Lidstrom are both on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) at pretty healthy doses. Even looking at Lidstrom's physique in Z's wedding pictures tells you that.