Cocaine use by players ‘going up,’ NHL says
The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association have acknowledged that cocaine use by players is on the rise, and they are planning to amend their substance abuse agreement to test more widely for illegal drugs.
Two players have been arrested in the past two years for possession of the drug, and Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told TSN that cocaine use within the league is “going up.”
“For the league and the (players’ association), our top priority is always the health and welfare of the players and doing what’s right to promote and protect that,” Daly told the Star on Monday.
League, players’ association working on plan to test more widely for illegal drugs
“We always try to approach these things from a longer-term perspective as opposed to a snapshot in time,” Daly said.
The talk of cocaine — a drug popular in the 1980s but now making a comeback — has grown in recent years. Daly said test results show an increase among players, but he estimated no more than 20 used it.
A week ago Maple Leafs prospect Viktor Loov talked to Swedish news outlet LT about drugs and hockey.
“In the NHL,” Loov said, “there’s a lot of cocaine.”
He said he didn’t use the drug himself, nor was he aware of any Marlies teammates that did, but cocaine was “the talk” among players.
“I’m sure it’s not just talk,” Loov said. “There are players everywhere who are doing it . . . It does not feel like the NHL is really taking it seri- ously, that they do not do much about it. In the club we talk about doping, but not about (illicit) drugs and stuff.”
TSN, citing two unnamed sources, reported Monday that a member of Leafs management met with Toronto police last season “to address concerns that Leafs players were purportedly using cocaine.” The Leafs declined to comment to the Star.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, who would not comment on any negotiations with the league, has been active in raising awareness about the problems of cocaine with both NHL executives and players, a source told the Star. Former NHLer Rich Clune, now with the Marlies, opened up about his drug addiction in the online Players Tribune, suggesting substance abuse is widespread.
“I am certainly not unique,” he wrote. “There are players in the NHL right now who are suffering and you would never know it from looking at their stat sheet or how hard they compete in practice.”
Jarret Stoll, 33, now with the New York Rangers, pleaded guilty in June to two reduced misdemeanour charges to resolve a felony cocaine case stemming from his April 17 arrest in Las Vegas. Former NHLer Ryan Malone, while still with the Tampa Lightning, was arrested for cocaine possession in 2014.
While Daly insisted the number of NHL players testing positive for cocaine is small, TSN pointed out cocaine use is easily masked and the drug can be flushed from the system in 24 hours, so the number of players using it — and passing drug tests — could be higher than Daly’s estimate.
NHL testing currently focuses on performance-enhancing drugs. Only one-third of those tested are also checked for illicit drugs.