11/05/24
November 25, 2005
1/3 of the NHL uses steroids.: Dick Pound (tee hee) states that a full third of NHL players use steroids. Completely unfounded comments like this make my blood boil especially when it comes to the NHL which I like more then more girlfriend and family and puppy put together. It could be true but Mr. lbs has no proof of any kind of wide spread "performance enhancing drugs".
I dunno, Pound never seemed like a rash guy to me. Has he explained where that number came from, or did he just pull it out of thin air?
posted by alex_reno at 11:31 PM on November 25, 2005
When I see a bunch of middle aged players show up for their final years having gained 50 pounds of muscle like old Barry baseball I will get concerned, until then Mr. Pounds should focus where the real problem lies. Womens Tennis, seen those Williams sisters latley??
posted by Coach_B at 03:20 AM on November 26, 2005
i figure that since the best players compete in the, olympics and the olympics have the toughest doping rules on earth, why aren't hockey players being caught there? this whole story is full of holes.
posted by chefwest at 06:39 AM on November 26, 2005
Last years hockey fiasco between the owners and players was the best thing that happened to hockey in years. It showed me how much I don't really care what sports are turning into. Just a bunch of overpaid players and greedy owners only out to make a buck or name for themselves. And yes, owners are as bad, if not worse than some of the players. Daniel Snyder of the Washington Redskins comes to mind (mind you it is football and not hockey, but the same rules apply). It's too bad that sports has become just a business and not a game anymore. When athletes went out there to have fun and compete just because they wanted to. To REALLY prove who was better and not having to pop steroids to make sure they were out there every game. Do 1/3 of NHL players use steroids?? Probably not, but I'm sure there are NHL players out there using them. You're naive if you don't believe so.
posted by usroute17 at 06:59 AM on November 26, 2005
You're naive if you don't believe so. The point isn't that he said "some NHL players use steroids"; of course they do. The point is he make a blanket statement, without fact or anything to back it up. He's in a position of power and to just Bush your way around things, making up things as you go along, is an eggregious misuse of the podium.
posted by dfleming at 07:37 AM on November 26, 2005
Pound's statements were completely absurd. He has no evidence to back up anything he said, and the sheer intensity of the backlash from all levels of the NHL and PA is pretty telling. The Toronto Star has been covering this in some detail, with some interesting facts of note:
Leafs needle Pound about drug comments : According to multiple sources, the NHL Players' Association two years ago quietly did a "dry run" for the random drug testing they knew would be coming to the NHL. Every player in the league was tested for drugs and, while the exact number of players who tested positive isn't known, several NHL players said that of the more 700 players who were tested, only three came back positive. A source close to the NHLPA said that the testing was thorough, with players being tested for every one of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) banned substances.Unfortunately, it doesn't mention what exactly they tested for, and three out of seven hundred does seem surprisingly low, but it seems much more reasonable than 233 out of 700. Also, this article mentions the current NHL drug policy:
NHL players are subject to a minimum of two drug tests a year without warning. A first-time offender would receive a 20-game suspension, a repeat offender would be suspended for 60 games and a permanent ban would follow a third offence.That's got teeth just as sharp as the current MLB system. One analyst (I think it was on TSN) suggested that Pound would like all professional sports' drug testing to be under control of the WADA, and this is his way of trying to make the in-house testing protocols look unconvincing. Either way, if he doesn't retract or significantly qualify his statements, he's lost a lot of my respect.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 09:55 AM on November 26, 2005
I think Mr. Pound needs to go "pound" something other than the NHL.
posted by usroute17 at 02:08 PM on November 26, 2005
If you read the article, Pound says something like 'you would not be far wrong to say one-third.' To evaluate this statement, you need to look at what each person has to gain. What does Pound gain? Some noteriety? WADA testing protocols adopted by pro sports? So what? What about Bettman? What about Bertuzzi saying 'trust me.' Riiiiggghhhht.... So someone who makes his living in this area, with nothing really to gain makes a statement and he 'loses a lot of respect'. I'll take his off-the-cuff judgement or words, regardless of whether they can be backed up, more than any hollow denial by a class of proven liars. You would not be far wrong to guess 1/3 of all professional athletes use some sort of performance enhancing drugs. Sounds about right to me. So, hockey, with its legion of eastern european players, where btw, steriod use has a strong history, is somehow untainted? Get real fans.
posted by sfts2 at 02:36 PM on November 26, 2005
I have a column on this in the hopper, so I'll let it speak for me when it goes up.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:56 PM on November 26, 2005
Youd think with that title he wouldnt be such a dope. When every check or slapshot shatters the glass we should worry. Until then Mr Pound, worry about your own backyard.