This quote was from TSN's site, from a recap articleabout the new NHL CBA. I was watching some coverage of the ratifications and this jumped out at me when they were discussing the highlights of the deal. Some other verbage I have heard is that this is about performance enhancing drugs, not narcotics, and all I could think was that its pretty strict compared to some of the other sports, specifically such as what baseball is trying to call a drug policy. I know in other threads, the merit of actual elimination of steroids etc has been somewhat debated (i.e. while it ensures more fair competition amongst professionals it may not have much/any impact on teenager usage).Stiff drug-testing policy: minimum of two drug tests a year with no advance warning. A player will earn a 20-game suspension for a first-time offence, a 60-game ban for a second offence and a permanent suspension from the NHL after a third violation.
Maybe its a ploy to try polish the sport's image and regain some legitimacy among fans but I have to admit I was impressed by their willingness to address the steroid issue. Its only one issue that the NHL has to face (and arguably a minor one to some people) but I was happy to see the manner in which they tackled it.
