Evgeny Kuznetsov is a pro on the ice, and he apparently doesn’t mind the snow, either.
The International Ice Hockey Federation issued a four-year suspension to the Capitals center after he tested positive for cocaine at the 2019 IIHF World Championship on May 26. Kuznetsov was provisionally suspended on June 13 and his ban will be lifted on June 12, 2023, according to an IIHF statement released on Friday.
Back in May, a video surfaced of Kuznetsov sitting in a hotel room next to what appears to be a rolled up bill and two lines of white powder.
At first, the 27-year-old from Chelyabinsk, Russia denied taking the drug, claiming he left the hotel room after making a phone call. Kuznetsov said the video was shot in Las Vegas, shortly after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018. “I never took drugs, give me a drug test and I’ll pass it,” he told a Russian publication called Sports Express.
But he appeared to be walking back his original claim on Friday. “I have made the decision to accept this penalty,” he said in a statement posted on the National Hockey League website. ” I have disappointed so many people that are important to me, including my family, teammates, and friends. I feel absolutely terrible for letting you down.”
The IIHF ban prohibits Kuznetsov from playing on the international stage, including the Olympics, but it’s not clear whether the NHL will sanction him for his snorting. “We are aware of the positive test result and related international sanction that has been imposed on Evgeny Kuznetsov,” the Capitals said in a statement posted on the league’s website. “We are disappointed with this development and take this occurrence seriously. We will remain in contact with the NHL as they determine the next steps.”
While cocaine is considered a stimulant and prohibited in section S6 of the World Anti-Doping Code, the substance is not technically banned by the NHL, according to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. “Unlike the IIHF, cocaine is not considered a performance enhancing drug and is therefore not a Prohibited Substance under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program,” Daly said in a statement posted on the league’s website on Friday. “Instead, it is considered a drug of abuse that is tested for and for which intervention, evaluation, and mandatory treatment can occur in appropriate cases.”
Players who test positive for drugs like cocaine and marijuana are not suspended by the NHL, but may be referred to league doctors for treatment. Daly said that Kuznetsov has “voluntarily sought help” through the league’s counseling program, and has agreed to be tested for the substance on a regular basis.
Kuznetsov has been a key player for the Caps since he got to Washington in 2014. He helped the team win its first Stanley Cup in 2018, and was the leading NHL scorer in the playoffs with 12 goals and 20 assists in 24 games. Last March, he scored his 100th NHL goal during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. And for the hockey neophytes, his name is pronounced ehv-GEH-nee kooz-NEHT-sawf.
