Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov tested positive for cocaine at the World Championship and has been banned from playing for Russia for four years.
Kuznetsov failed a doping test after a sample was taken on May 26, the day Russia won the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic in Slovakia, the International Ice Hockey Federation said on Friday.
A day earlier, Russia had lost in the semi-finals to eventual champions Finland.
The ban does not stop Kuznetsov from playing in the NHL, which classifies cocaine as a drug of abuse rather than a performance-enhancing doping product.
“I feel absolutely terrible for letting you down,” Kuznetsov said in a statement published by the NHL addressing Capitals owners and fans.
“I realize that the only way I can win you back is to take ownership of my situation and my actions from this point forward,” said the 27-year-old player, who has six years left on a US$62.4 million contract signed in 2017.
The NHL said that Kuznetsov agreed to meet with commissioner Gary Bettman before training camp and would undergo regular testing.
“Here, we understand that Mr Kuznetsov has voluntarily sought help through the education and counseling program provided for in the NHL and [NHL Players’ Association] collective bargaining agreement,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement.
Kuznetsov faced allegations of drug use at the world championship after a video posted on social media showed him talking to someone while lines of white powder and US dollar bills could be seen on the table.
However, it was unclear when the clip was filmed.
Kuznetsov, who did not touch the powder in the soon-deleted video, said that it was from last year in Las Vegas after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup with a standout performance from the Russian.
It was a friend’s hotel room and he soon left after seeing drugs there, he said.
“I never took drugs, give me a drug test and I’ll pass it,” he told Russian daily Sport Express in May.
The NHL closed its review of the incident within days, saying that it found no reason to question the player’s explanation.
Russian Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov suggested that the US should take some blame for drug use by Kuznetsov, who made his Washington debut at age 21.
“It’s not possible for us to control athletes who at a young age leave Russia for places with a completely different culture,” Kolobkov said in a statement.
Kuznetsov’s ban expires on June 12, 2023, the Zurich, Switzerland-based federation said.
The two-time world champion said that he would “accept this penalty.”
He could have pursued an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He is excluded from the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the next three world championships.
Although the NHL did not release players for last year’s Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea, the next Winter Games in China’s capital is a more attractive marketing prospect to justify shutting down league play for most of February.
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