Bäckström didn't play due to testing positive for illegal substances

[hockeyville88]

Weird because it says he's been taking the same pills for 10 years and has been fine with drug testing till now.

Awful timing. Sweden's gonna be pissed about this. I hate that it overshadows our win just a little with people saying we were gifted the gold. We were the best team anyways. Dominant by a long shot. This gold was ours

[stawns]

Sweden was robbed of any chance at gold because of this.

yeah, his 4 assists in 5 games would really have tipped the scales. Of course, they'd actually have to touch the puck for that to happen.

[poetica]

Holy crap. I must be a hard core drug user by those standards. Having frequent allergy headaches and even migraines myself, I feel for the guy.

[RUPERTKBD]

Weird because it says he's been taking the same pills for 10 years and has been fine with drug testing till now.

Awful timing. Sweden's gonna be pissed about this. I hate that it overshadows our win just a little with people saying we were gifted the gold. We were the best team anyways. Dominant by a long shot. This gold was ours

Absolutely. People are also quick to forget that the Swedes were "gifted" the loss of Finland's #1 goalkeeper in the Semis.

Maybe if Tukka had taken some Claritin....

[mau5trap]

Does the Claritin type substance actually enhance performance?

Cause I have recreational hockey in a few hours, and I think it's time for me to load up

[RUPERTKBD]

Does the Claritin type substance actually enhance performance?

Cause I have recreational hockey in a few hours, and I think it's time for me to load up

I doubt that Rec hockey has quite that strict of a drug policy...

But if they ever declare beer a banned substance, I'm in big trouble!

[terrible.dee]

Even I knew that pseudoephedrine was a no-no in the olympics,

and you want to tell me Backstrom didn't know?? Gimme a break, he knew.

That particular substance will mask the detection of speed, Adderall type drugs, although I doubt that's why Backstrom was using it.

I remember a Canucks associate in the 90's telling me that all the players took pseudoephedrine for the slight energy boost.

[apollo]

That's why?!?!

... lol

[drdeath]

It was Zyrtec-D. Obviously the Swedish GM is calling shenanigans.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/sweden-claims-ioc-conspiracy-over-nicklas-backstrom-s-failed-doping-test-192042689.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

[stawns]

It was Zyrtec-D. Obviously the Swedish GM is calling shenanigans.

http://sports.yahoo....diacontentstory

the bottom line is, it's a banned substance and as Rupert said, everyone has a list if banned substances. No one to blame here but the Swedish medical/training staff who should have known and taken pre-emptive measures prior to the tournament. Irrelevant anyway as backstrom is not the kind of player who would have made a lick of difference against that Canadian team.

[ForsbergTheGreat]

No shocker. Caps a poor team at covering their tracks in this regard. But the Nhl will ignore this PED abuse.

Did you even read the article?

"Mark Aubry, chief physician for IIHF, said that Backstrom wasn't attempting any doping and was using it as a cold medication. “There is no doping in this instance," he said. "He is an innocent victim. We support him strongly. Doping is not allowed, but this is not a case of doping.”

Remember when Jose Theodore tested positive for taking pills for anti balding.

[*Buzzsaw*]

Olympic Committee once again showed they have their heads stuck firmly up their asses...

Backstrom has been taking this allergy medication for the last 7 years... he told them he was taking it...

The amount by which he exceeded the test was irrelevant to performance enhancement.

It is a shame this banning was allowed to be put in place... it takes away from Canada's victory... puts an asterix beside it in a lot of European minds.

Backstrom was a key center, the Swede's were short of centers anyway with Henrik and Zetterberg missing. He was a key part of their highest scoring line.

The fact is, Canada would have beaten Sweden anyway... it would have been much the better thing to do to allow Backstrom to play.

[RUPERTKBD]

the bottom line is, it's a banned substance and as Rupert said, everyone has a list if banned substances. No one to blame here but the Swedish medical/training staff who should have known and taken pre-emptive measures prior to the tournament. Irrelevant anyway as backstrom is not the kind of player who would have made a lick of difference against that Canadian team.

That being said, I have to say that dislike the way this particular rule is written. The substance is only banned if it's of a sufficient concentration?

I don't think it's fair to expect athletes to figure out how many ppm of a substance are in their system. Either make it banned completely, or make it legal. That way, there should be no mix-ups like this.

[apollo]

the bottom line is, it's a banned substance and as Rupert said, everyone has a list if banned substances. No one to blame here but the Swedish medical/training staff who should have known and taken pre-emptive measures prior to the tournament. Irrelevant anyway as backstrom is not the kind of player who would have made a lick of difference against that Canadian team.

Ummm backstrom is their best center. Yes he would have made a difference.

He's one of the NHLs best play makers.

[RUPERTKBD]

Ummm backstrom is their best center. Yes he would have made a difference.

He's one of the NHLs best play makers.

Disagree. Zetterberg is their best center. Hank and Backstrom are a toss-up, IMO.

[apollo]

Disagree. Zetterberg is their best center. Hank and Backstrom are a toss-up, IMO.

I meant center that could have played last night with those injuries

I disagree though I think hank is the best of the three WHEN healthy. Then it's a toss between backstrom and zett. Really depends what your team needs. But strictly play making hank and backstrom are better. Zetterberg is probably best all around player

[Canuck Surfer]

Weird because it says he's been taking the same pills for 10 years and has been fine with drug testing till now.

Awful timing. Sweden's gonna be pissed about this. I hate that it overshadows our win just a little with people saying we were gifted the gold. We were the best team anyways. Dominant by a long shot. This gold was ours

Nice new siggy! Very appropriate.

[Canuck Surfer]

Did you even read the article?

"Mark Aubry, chief physician for IIHF, said that Backstrom wasn't attempting any doping and was using it as a cold medication. “There is no doping in this instance," he said. "He is an innocent victim. We support him strongly. Doping is not allowed, but this is not a case of doping.”

Remember when Jose Theodore tested positive for taking pills for anti balding.

Is that why Kassians no longer plays with the Twins?

Never mind!

[Nucks-4-Life]

Pseudoephedrine combined with caffeine can give an amphetamine-like response in athletes. They take it for a 2-3 hour increased boost in energy and endurance.

The only side effect is increased dehydration and the possibility of being detected on some strict drug tests.

[Gross-Misconduct]

This is why the Olympics is a joke. After this one, we can all go back to not caring about the Winter olympics when no NHL players are there. Lets get the NHL going again. Who cares what the players are taking? I dont.