A bizarre suspension just came down in the NHL as Nate Schmidt has been suspended by the NHL for violating the leagues substance abuse policies. According to reports, Schmidt tested positive for trace amount of a performance enhancing substance. At this point I was unable to ascertain which substance was in question and all reports are being very intentionally vague.
The strange part for me is that Schmidt is coming off his best season, during which he was randomly tested on two separate occasions. Schmidt equates the amount found to being a grain of salt in an olympic sized swimming pool.
Elliotte Friedman posted a statement from Nate Schmidt on twitter yesterday that is seemingly denying any possible violation of league policy. Schmidt says he had experts speak on his behalf at his appeal saying that the trace amounts could have been accidental environmental contamination. He also states that he has never taken any non league sanctioned supplements and that his performance has been monitored all last season with no increase whatsoever.
It's impossible to know if Schmidt is being 100% honest but it does seem like the evidence is on his side. Regardless, the Vegas Golden Knights will be without Schmidt as they look to repeat their success from last season.
Comments