The Hockey-Players-on-Drugs Story Resurfaces Again

We've seen this one before. Somebody says pro hockey is awash in performance enhancing drugs. NHL players and suits issue shocked denials. Life goes on.

This time, the pointed finger comes from the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Dick Pound says "you wouldn't be far wrong" to suggest that one-third of NHL players are dope fiends.

The usual response was immediate. "No basis in fact," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "Incredibly irresponsible," chimed Players' Association exec Ted Saskin. NHL vice president Colin Campbell, a former player and coach, was more guarded. "I've had players say they know guys who've taken steroids, but I don't know much more than that."

"To my knowledge, he doesn't have access to 700 urine samples," said Andrew Ference of the Calgary Flames. "But what can you do? It's a statement and tests will prove otherwise."

Starting this season, NHL players are subject to at least two random drug tests per year without warning. The penalties are a 20-game suspension for the first offence, 60 games for the second, and a lifetime ban for a third offence. Pound says the policy is weak.

No, he doesn't have 700 urine samples. So where is Pound coming from? Given what he knows about doping, perhaps he sized up today's bigger, stronger hockey player and made an educated guess. Or maybe he's just being provocative, warning the NHL that the presumption of innocence is not enough.

Dick Pound might be a loose cannon, and his moralizing tone can be annoying. But he also knows more about doping in sport than just about anyone. In today's climate, where many assume all sports to be rife with drug cheats and the American congress has decided that the habits of a tiny handful of elite athletes are a matter of national urgency, it's not enough to shout down Dick Pound.

Baseball's New Drug Policy

Update: They're piling on Dick Pound in Chicago, Florida, and just about everywhere else. Don Cherry is in a lather as well.