No Steroid Problem in the NHL? So Says Gary Bettman.

With the BALCO drug scandal dominating America's sports pages, the NHL has been quick to insist that it runs a clean league.

Quoted in a New York Newsday article, commissioner Gary Bettman says performance-enhancing drugs are not a problem in the NHL, "because what it does to your body is inconsistent with what your body has to do to be a successful hockey player."

Sounds plausible, sort of. But we know steroids are not just for pure power or explosive strength. A sophisticated doper can probably mix his or her cocktail to suit just about any demands. Like elite athletes in most sports, pro hockey players have grown bigger and stronger in the last couple of decades. If pressed, even Bettman might acknowledge that at least a few of those monsters have been "on the juice," as they say.

In any case, the commissioner insists that the next NHL collective agreement will include a "comprehensive program" of drug testing, education and counseling. Not a bad idea. With the latest scandal engulfing a Yankee, a home run king and an Olympic queen, an all-out anti-drug crusade is sure to sweep through America's sporting culture.