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NHLPA: ‘Definitely a problem’ with IOC’s testing process

NHL Labor Hockey

Matthew Schneider, left, special assistant to NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr, Winnipeg Jets’ Ron Hainsey, center, and Steve Fehr, players union special counsel, arrive at NHL headquarters in New York, Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. With the clock ticking down to the start of the season, the NHL and its locked-out players are talking again. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

AP

You can add the National Hockey League Players’ Association to the list of those displeased with the Nicklas Backstrom situation.

After details behind Backstrom’s failed substance test and subsequent gold medal game ban were revealed, NHLPA special assistant Mathieu Schneider expressed major concern with IOC testing.

“There’s definitely a problem with the process,” Schneider said, per CP. “The process was flawed. The damage was already done for Nicklas.”

A quick rundown of the issues stemming from the Backstrom situation:

-- He was tested on Wednesday, Feb. 19, following a quarterfinal win over Slovenia, then played in Sweden’s semifinal win over Finland on Friday, the 21st. News of the failed test and ban came on Sunday, the 23rd, approximately 2.5 hours prior to puck drop for the Canada game.

-- Backstrom tested positive for 190 mg of Pseudoephedrine, 40 mg over the legal amount. The Pseudoephedrine came via an allergy medicine Backstrom has been taking daily for the last seven years (which would include the ’10 Olympics in Vancouver). The NHL issued a statement saying the drug was “neither prohibited in the NHL nor was used in an improper manner.” Sweden’s team doctors and officials said they were aware of Backstrom using it.

-- Backstrom’s team, the Capitals, issued a similar statement saying they were aware of him taking the medication this season, also confirming the medicine was approved by the Swedish national team.

-- In explaining the late announcement of test results, the IOC told the IIHF medical chief that it had “a lot of tests going on.”

In light of all this, there will now likely be another big set of questions to be answered when the discussion turns to NHL participation for the ’18 Winter Games.

NHLPA’s Schneider doesn’t know if IOC fiasco over Backstrom would affect 2018 NHL participation, can’t say if PA would ask for more input.

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) February 23, 2014

Olympic participation has always been somewhat contentious, given four different organizations -- the NHL, NHLPA, IOC and IIHF -- all want input and a say in decision making. While the four parties were able to come to an agreement to send players to Sochi, one wonders if they’ll have similar success finding common ground for Pyeongchang, especially given all that’s transpired over the last two weeks with player injuries, outspoken anti-Olympic owners and, now, the Backstrom incident.