Are there steroids in the NHL?

Question

I mean you don't hear even a whisper about steroid use in hockey, but is that because there is none (or very little compared to other sports) or is it just a small marketed sport issue....

I am genuinly curious about it....

Answer 1

They have had regular and random drug tests for years, even before baseball started to take it seriously. So far only a couple of guys, both rather minor figures, have turned up positive. So I would venture to say that no, there are no steroids in hockey.

Answer 2

I am sure that there is some.  There are always people looking to get an edge on the competition not matter what rules they break.  However, since endurance is very important in hockey not just physical strength, I think steroid use is not that big of a problem.  I mean look at football and baseball, most of the positions in which there have been wide spread rumors of on going steroid use is the power hitters for baseball and the linemen for football.  The in the other positions flexibility, coordination and endurance is more important than the shear strength.  Steriods don't help in those areas.  And if you look at hockey it strength is generally a secondary need.  I mean look some at the all time greatest hockey player- Gretzky.  He didn't need great strength to be the best.

Answer 3

there is but u gotta be dumb to take steroids in the nhl because if u r too bulky u wont be able to turn or skate very fast at all..steroids s***w u in hockey

Answer 4

Not many. I haven't ever heard of a NHL player use. Mainly, I think it's because the NHL has a lot of Europeans, and they really don't seem like they would use steroids. That is my opinion and I could be wrong, but they seem to be fair sports. The people in the NHL are to truthful, and really don't seem like they believe in steroid use. That's what they come off to me as.

BeerSlayer: Okay, yeah. but doesn't it seem like America has the biggest intake of it, for football and baseball?

Answer 5

Yes there are but very little use they do random testing and come down Hard on the people that use. Shrinking of legs and a larger head I think people would notice with the helmets and pads

Answer 6

i doubt it because hockey players need to be fast and have good reaction times.

Answer 7

Stimulants such as Sudafed are bigger problems in the NHL than steroids are.  some people suspect nearly 50% of players use stimulants.

Answer 8

maybe the enforcers but not normal shift players

Answer 9

***Julie....think again about Europeans not using steroids or any other performance enhancing substances. That's where it all started!

****When governments started taking action through courts etc etc...of course it is going to appear like those sports are in the forefront. But rest assured, they are using "roids in everything from bowling to lawn darts.

Answer 10

Yeah eh, Beer Slayer especially in countries where sport and national defence were all they spent their money on I would name a few but it would probably offend a few of the regulars in this section. They know who they are + which countries I am talking about.

Well then .. you know, former Soviet Bloc countries like East Germany, Hungary etc ..

To the guy with the foot fetish: Are you referring to your girlfriend from Trannylandia?

Answer 11

NOPE

Answer 12

There are steroids in EVERY sport these days. In hockey, it's not uncommon to find 250 lb. players now.

Answer 13

To answer your question-

You also don't hear aboot it in the NBA as well.Baseball and football have it mostly because they are strength dominated sports for the most part.I'm not saying the players in the NHL aren't stronger then any others but primarily its for speed and agility which I don't feel steroids helps a bunch.

Answer 14

I'm sure that there is, but I'm confident its not like MLB was where it was right out in the open in the clubhouses... And I'm also confident that there aren't superstars on steroids in the NHL... but you never know... I remember reading that there were some enforcers in the 90s with drug issues... and that would be who I'd suspect in today's game... big guys that don't log a lot of ice time... that's who it is in most sports, fringe players, most of the time anyway. I forget the names of the players who used in the 90s... I think Domi was one but I'm not sure tho... but I havent' heard any suspicions lately...

Its simple economics that someone would stoop to that level tho... and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. But they do have a good testing policy, but its cat and mouse with HGH/steroids, the tests don't cover all the new drugs.

edit: strength totally helps you in hockey, so does muscle mass... if yr stronger than someone or bigger than someone  you can push em off the puck... you can keep it in the corner to kill a penalty, you can pull someone into you in a fight (which is how its done) its not solely a sport of agility... its a rough tough sport... it requires a total athelete... steroids would help a hockey player... so that arugement, that hockey players wouldn't need it because it wouldn't help you in the sport is completely bunk.

Answer 15

The number of positive tests for PED (performance enhancing drugs) has been incredibly small, which could mean one of two things:

1) The sport is cleaner than baseball, football, track, cycling, etc.

2) The testing programme is weak, not year-round, and the tests are not up-to-date with the latest advances in chemically aided improvement.

Unless you're running a year-round testing programme (where you have zero advance notice) with up-to-date tests, you'll likely have some people using PED's.  Most likely, guys who are advancing in their careers, or guys on the AHL/NHL fringe trying to stay in the NHL.  

The fan in me wants to think that these guys are all clean, but can I say with absolute certainty that nobody is using PED's?  No chance.

My guess is that you're not going to see guys using steroids, but HGH, blood doping, etc...think about the punishment that goes on during the playoffs; if it were to help recovery, I'm sure one or two guys are probably going down that road (although since painkilling injections aren't on the list, most guys are probably safe).

If one of the "name" players were to test positive, it would hit the news.

Answer 16

I am sure there are numerous players using, but for the most part, hockey is the classiest true sport (true sport...one which involves a vast array of full contact, intricacy, finesse, extreme coordination, and vision) on the planet.  Most hockey players are above using unfair advantages.  My opinion is, if you cheat the league and the game, you're cheating yourself, but obviously athletes in other sports don't feel the same so I cannot say.

EDIT - thanks for the thumbs down in the hockey section.  Sorry for promoting the game or singing its praises.  Am I wrong about hockey being classy?  No.  I'm right, you're wrong, go f*ck yourself.  Probably some b*tch a$$ hockey hatin hick (excuse the alliteration) that lives in a cornfield with a basketball, a hoop, no ice, and no life.

Answer 17

The amount of visible usage pales in comparison to other sports but I bet there have been a few cases (Bryan Berad did test positive for a banned substance a few years back.)

Now I have to disagree however, with some of the explanations, it's not simply the fact that Europeans play the game because somebody should remember the West German Woman's Swimming teams and their full grown beards in the 80s. I think the main reason is the what you see the steroids used for in other sports, mainly building muscle mass and increasing size. Hockey requires flexibility and strong tendons and ligaments, as you see most players aren't bulky types like football, baseball. The requirements of steroids aren't needed when your workouts are low weight, high rep type, as your not trying to increase muscle mass, but increase strength between your muscle and ligaments.

Now having said this the only real prevalent usage I could think of is for injured players who could use steroids to increase healing time, that I would say is probably the most common amongst hockey players, but still very rare, as most long term injury risks have to do with concussions and roids would in no way affect that.

Answer 18

It's mainly because there's none or very little compared to other sports. The NHL has a truly random testing policy- 10 teams players get randomly tested once a year, 10 teams twice a year, and 10 teams 3 times a year. And nobody on the teams knows which they're on, and it changes from year to year.

Also, the sport of hockey is not conducive to their use. Unlike Baseball and football, Muscle mass doens't help much. It's a lot more about technique and toning rather then sheer strength. Most of the workouts that Hockey teams do are just to tone muscles, fine tune balance- so a lot of high reps for endurance, but not a lot of high weight for building strength.

Add to that players who come from small town value systems, and you have a pretty clean sport, if not perfectly clean.