NHL investigating Washington Capitals ties to Steroids

"All I can say is that we get tested two, three times a year and there's never been anybody that tested positive"

A couple in Florida was arrested with an anabolic steroids stash worth a street value of $200,000 claimed to have sold them to Washington Capital players. Dick Patrick of the Washington Capitals has confirmed the NHL’s investigation “We welcome and will fully cooperate with the NHL’s investigation.”

Whether it is true or not has yet to be determined, but it is just a little weird that a man & woman from Florida would pick out the Washington Capitals out of all the other teams they could have said if they were making it up.

Donald Brashear: "All I can say is that we get tested two, three times a year and there's never been anybody that tested positive"

In other news, three Washington Capitals players just announced they were going to play in Russia, Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Federov and Donald Brashear. This brings to mind questions of the allegations when you consider the KHL had struggled to make ends meet last season and had a mandatory pay cut for player across the board. Read “Everyone’s Going to the KHL” from the Washington Post.

I have heard that the NHL announces it’s drug testing with a bull horns weeks in advance before it tests players, and I would not be surprised if it was easily avoidable for many. My question is does the NHL have itself a gigantic Barry Bonds type problem with Alexander Ovechkin ? That’s what I want to know.

Here are some links to a few articles on the subject: “Steroids dealer says he sold to Nationals, Capitals after Florida bust” and “D.C. teams looking into statements made in Polk steroids case” from Tampa Bay online.

Phil Krundle