One-time International Olympic Committee member and former chairman of the the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound is still adamant that the NHL has a drug problem that the league refuses to address.
↵↵↵"I'd stick with my numbers. Hockey has been in denial for a long time," said Dick Pound, an International Olympic Committee member who was the keynote speaker at the Queen's Sports Industry Conference at the Days Inn last night.
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Pound contends that the NHL doesn't have a problem with steroids, as is the case with the MLB and the NFL, but with over-the-counter stimulants.
↵↵↵In the past few years, a pair of former NHL players, Dave Morissette and Stephane Quintal, have said that the use of stimulants, including Sudafed, is common in the league.
↵The NHL's drug-testing policy, which began in 2006, doesn't test for performance-enhancing drugs during the playoffs or off-season.
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When you sit back and think about it, it seems rather odd that a sport that requires such a high level of athleticism has yet to see any major issues with performance-enhancing drug use. Whether it's steroids or Sudafed, you have to wonder if the NHL, especially as they try to rebuild after the lockout, is turning a blind eye in the name of league success.