Sean Hill of the Islanders is the first player in NHL history to be suspended for violating the league's drug policy. What are your thoughts on the extremely low rate of drug use in the sport of hockey? You see it so much in baseball and football, but not here. What's different about this sport and this league that makes drug use something you almost never hear about in the NHL or other ice hockey league?
2007-04-22 06:39:10 · 6 answers · asked by Cat Loves Her Sabres 6 in Sports ➔ Hockey
It could be as simple as the fact that the NHL doesn't have as strict a policy and maybe guys are but just not getting caught. I don't believe that but nothing about steroids surprises me anymore.
There have been others not necessarily caught-the Kordic's were known roid users. Andrei Nazarov said last year that most fighters in the NHL are users.
The funniest to me was Jose Theodore and he blamed it on propecia (spelling?? a hair loss drug) but he has quite a thick head of hair.
HGH does not neccessarily mean being muscle bound-some small pitchers have been caught and it can simply help you stay toned with high energy and more strength without making you immobile. Great big roid heads are the ones who take the drug and spend ALOT of time in the gym.
Another thing with HGH is quick recovery, not just muscle recovery allowing you to train more but recovery from injury. I have read up alot on the subject and a knee injury that normally takes 6 weeks to heal could take a week or two with the use of HGH. You know how younger people seem to heal faster, well they have more of the HG hormone in their system than an older person. Some people even have a legal prescription because their body does not produce enough. Baseballer David Segui was one of those people.
In closing I think it may be more wide spread than we know but still really low compared to say baseball and another main reason may be availibilty. In a baseball locker room, if it is readily available, guys will try it.
Also, apparently alot of these steroids come from places like Mexico and California where there are way more baseballers so maybe if hockey were a southern sport with some Mexican players we's see more too.
BTW, good question.
2007-04-22 08:17:10 · answer #1 · answered by Bob Loblaw 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Three reasons you see it less in hockey. One, the players police themselves. There is a code of honor in the NHL among the players, and they don't want their sport messed up. So they watch over themselves. Two, the fact is that most of the performance-enhancing drugs wouldn't help much in hockey. Flexibility trumps strength, though you need both. Most steroids and such make you stronger, but they don't make you faster or more flexible. Many of them make muscles brittle, too. That is ok if you are just swatting at baseballs, but it can hurt you if someone checks you at 20 miles per hour or more. Three, many of the players are involved in international play, especially the European players, and international sport is MUCH more strict about drugs than American pro sports in general. So the drug culture simply is not engrained into the hockey culture like it is in some sports. Provided that the NHL keeps cracking down on the few guys like Hill that do do it, then it is highly unlikely that it will ever be as serious of a problem in hockey as in other sports.
2007-04-22 07:35:20 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Taco 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A major factor is that it isn't as good for their overall play. Being to muscular can result in being a slower skater. If your wrists are too big, you can't grip your skick properly. Hockey players are not ussually helped by these kinds of steriods unlike football and baseball players.
Another possible explination is that the NHL is not paying enough attention too find that there is a problem, though I have a feeling that there is no real problem in the NHL on this subject. As we have found there is obveusly someone, so if there is one there is most likly another. The number is probably very low though.
2007-04-22 06:47:53 · answer #3 · answered by oilersrock90 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I saw the article about Hill being the first player suspended for violating the policy, but wasn't Probert suspended an entire season because of his alcohol and cocaine problems?
2007-04-22 06:44:04 · answer #4 · answered by deavil02 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hockey players don't use drugs like steriods beacause it won't help their game. It actualy makes it worse. Also most hockey players are smart and know that drugs will suspend them and will do them no good.
2007-04-22 08:27:24 · answer #5 · answered by xXwhowhoXx 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was suspended for performance enhancing drugs, not cocaine or something like that.
2007-04-22 07:16:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋