Are the Playoffs Rigged? (Put on Your Tinfoil Hat, We're Going In...)

[ForsbergTheGreat]

For the NHL to be completely rigged, one of two things would have to be involved:

a )League/Owners would have to be in on it

b )Players would also have to be in on it.

If you chose a )

Players

Why would the players stand for this. Not all NHL players are multi-millionaires, many of the guys are in the AHL trying to crack the NHL. We’ve seen guys have a good playoffs one year and hit a huge pay raise. Why would other players sit back and watch someone else get big dollars and yet they can’t even make it to the big leagues.

Ref only have so much power

Refs can have an impact on a game, but refs can’t guarantee the outcome. They don’t force a team to score on the PP and they can’t stop a team from scoring on the PK (like LA and BOS did to us). A player does have the ability to change the outcome of a game. We’ve seen times where a hot goalie steals a game with unbelievable saves. Refs have no control over how well a player plays.

If the “b )” players are all in on it, then how do you explain:

Injuries

If you just watch the game you can see the hard work that is involved in winning a hockey games. Players putting their bodies on the line to stop a puck from going in. What about the guys that are suing the NHL for injuries they sustained while playing? Would they not have had a contract stating all the dangers involved? In not then wouldn’t they just come out to the public about the NHL being rigged. Did Raymond not break his back last year’s playoffs? Did Kesler not need off season Surgery? If the injuries were fake then you’d have to have hospitals and doctors in on it as well or else you’d for sure have even a nurse leak something.

Emotion from the players

Did you see Iginla’s finger after the Kesler fight, that kind of emotion and anger isn’t stage. Any person who’s played anything competitively,(even a board game) will understand the emotion that flow through you when you want to win. It’s so noticeable when one player simply outworks their opponent in the corner to drive the puck to the net and score. The tears of joy in a players eyes when they win a cup. If you mistake that pure joy from a players hoisting the cup is acting then all these guys should be getting Oscars.

Relationship to the players

NHL players are ordinary people with friends and family. We all know people who play in the league, we’ve seen what effort and hard work they’ve went through in their lives to get to that point. It’s not to finally get to the NHL and let the league dictate the outcome of who wins and who loses.

Salary

Again why would other players stand for this watching one person make 10x the amount of their own salary. Wouldn’t this conspiracy have been leaked through numerous (hundreds of thousands) of sources by now.

82 games in a season

So much happens throughout each game. To think everything is staged on it would be insane. Every shift would have to be pre planed in order to guarantee the outcome. , we’ve all seen the effort a simple shift with a big hit has on a game. It wakes up the crowd bringing energy to the building. It every shift wasn’t pre planned players would be skating around with little emotion and effort. The WWE is easily seen from a camera how unreal it is and they wrestler are paid actors. These players aren’t actors, in a fight we can clearly see a punch connect. We can clearly see the danger of a guy going head first (or leg first like Stanton) into the boards. We see the affect injuries have on players long term not only in the NHL but throughout all levels of hockey. Are they in on it too?

The High Risk of the game

If a game was to be staged then everything would be extremely high risk. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of business knows that High risk investment rarely turns out and is not viable business strategy. Don’t understand high risk?

-If Luongo is .1 seconds slower sliding across the net in game seven against the hawks, canucks don’t win and go to the cup finals. If sharp fands on the puck or accidentally break his stick causing the puck to go in another direction and it sneaks into the net, canucks don’t win and go to the cup finals.

-If Boucher trips and falls when Christensen is shooting in last regular season game shootout and the puck goes in PHI doesn’t make the playoffs and go on the cup run.

-If Hansen shot to the empty net in game two last year hits some snow and the puck in accidentally goes in canucks go back to SJ tied.

-If LaFayett is an inch off on his mark and the puck goes in, canucks tie the game and possibly win the cup

Realism of the NHL game.

The unpredictable luck that is involved in winning a hockey game. Pucks going off skates, sticks, “stanchions” all seen in a live setting which causes game winning goals. No CGI here.

[ForsbergTheGreat]

Regarding PED abuse, there are plenty of alligations from Laraque on various unnamed players. OV was implicated as well, but that was white-washed and brushed aside. But really, you just have to open your eyes to see how players are alluvasudden full of ridiculous energy and, well, rage.

The Canucks have been benefactors from PED abuse as well btw. Quite obvious that Todd Bertuzzi's heyday was fueled by PED's. Laraque elluded to that as well by talking about those who don't perform well during Olympic years. 2005-06 was the beginning of Todd's decline, just before he was dumped out of here, and he has been a shadow of his former self ever since. Roids? 90pt tremendous power forward. No roids? 40pt vacant shell. Why? Well, the Canucks at the time desperately needed the WCE to perform at an elite level 30mins a night, or they were probably going to be forced to move down south during the NHL's Canadian dollar crisis. That is a fact - Brian Burke said a phonecall was all it would take, and buh-bye Canucks.

No, obviously I am not crying boo-hoo-hoo about the Canucks in particular. We have been part of it at times.

I truly hope you are joking about that. I'll let someone any person answer to why bert's products might have went down

Insert..".I'm not saying it was aliens"....meme

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

I truly hope you are joking about that. I'll let someone any person answer to why bert's products might have went down

Insert..".I'm not saying it was aliens"....meme

TOML I have to agree with Forsberg here about the Bertuzzi thing if you don't agree with us watch this.

Don't believe that he is on roids there and he sounds geniunly sorry for the incident. Some of the stuff you said in this thread is reasonable but I don't think this belongs in that category.

[TOMapleLaughs]

For the NHL to be completely rigged, one of two things would have to be involved:

a )League/Owners would have to be in on it

b )Players would also have to be in on it.

If you chose a )

Players

Why would the players stand for this. Not all NHL players are multi-millionaires, many of the guys are in the AHL trying to crack the NHL. We’ve seen guys have a good playoffs one year and hit a huge pay raise. Why would other players sit back and watch someone else get big dollars and yet they can’t even make it to the big leagues.

Ref only have so much power

Refs can have an impact on a game, but refs can’t guarantee the outcome. They don’t force a team to score on the PP and they can’t stop a team from scoring on the PK (like LA and BOS did to us). A player does have the ability to change the outcome of a game. We’ve seen times where a hot goalie steals a game with unbelievable saves. Refs have no control over how well a player plays.

If the “b )” players are all in on it, then how do you explain:

Injuries

If you just watch the game you can see the hard work that is involved in winning a hockey games. Players putting their bodies on the line to stop a puck from going in. What about the guys that are suing the NHL for injuries they sustained while playing? Would they not have had a contract stating all the dangers involved? In not then wouldn’t they just come out to the public about the NHL being rigged. Did Raymond not break his back last year’s playoffs? Did Kesler not need off season Surgery? If the injuries were fake then you’d have to have hospitals and doctors in on it as well or else you’d for sure have even a nurse leak something.

Emotion from the players

Did you see Iginla’s finger after the Kesler fight, that kind of emotion and anger isn’t stage. Any person who’s played anything competitively,(even a board game) will understand the emotion that flow through you when you want to win. It’s so noticeable when one player simply outworks their opponent in the corner to drive the puck to the net and score. The tears of joy in a players eyes when they win a cup. If you mistake that pure joy from a players hoisting the cup is acting then all these guys should be getting Oscars.

Relationship to the players

NHL players are ordinary people with friends and family. We all know people who play in the league, we’ve seen what effort and hard work they’ve went through in their lives to get to that point. It’s not to finally get to the NHL and let the league dictate the outcome of who wins and who loses.

Salary

Again why would other players stand for this watching one person make 10x the amount of their own salary. Wouldn’t this conspiracy have been leaked through numerous (hundreds of thousands) of sources by now.

82 games in a season

So much happens throughout each game. To think everything is staged on it would be insane. Every shift would have to be pre planed in order to guarantee the outcome. , we’ve all seen the effort a simple shift with a big hit has on a game. It wakes up the crowd bringing energy to the building. It every shift wasn’t pre planned players would be skating around with little emotion and effort. The WWE is easily seen from a camera how unreal it is and they wrestler are paid actors. These players aren’t actors, in a fight we can clearly see a punch connect. We can clearly see the danger of a guy going head first (or leg first like Stanton) into the boards. We see the affect injuries have on players long term not only in the NHL but throughout all levels of hockey. Are they in on it too?

The High Risk of the game

If a game was to be staged then everything would be extremely high risk. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of business knows that High risk investment rarely turns out and is not viable business strategy. Don’t understand high risk?

-If Luongo is .1 seconds slower sliding across the net in game seven against the hawks, canucks don’t win and go to the cup finals. If sharp fands on the puck or accidentally break his stick causing the puck to go in another direction and it sneaks into the net, canucks don’t win and go to the cup finals.

-If Boucher trips and falls when Christensen is shooting in last regular season game shootout and the puck goes in PHI doesn’t make the playoffs and go on the cup run.

-If Hansen shot to the empty net in game two last year hits some snow and the puck in accidentally goes in canucks go back to SJ tied.

-If LaFayett is an inch off on his mark and the puck goes in, canucks tie the game and possibly win the cup

Realism of the NHL game.

The unpredictable luck that is involved in winning a hockey game. Pucks going off skates, sticks, “stanchions” all seen in a live setting which causes game winning goals. No CGI here.

Edited by ForsbergTheGreat, 46 minutes ago.

1. Not all players are in on it. Not all owners are in on it. Why would they need to be?

2. Refs have more control than you think. With parity in the standings a single point can make or break a season. With goals at a premium in the playoffs, a single call or non-call can affect a game's outcome.

3. Some injuries are faked to gain cap compliancy.

4. Emotion shown by players is irrelevant in rigging. Esp. when not all players are aware of it.

5. Relationships to the players are also irrelevant. You know why Hossa went from Team A to Team B to Team C? Because he figured out which teams are going to be benefactors asap.

6. Salary is irrelevant. Some chose the millions (Kessel, various Rangers players) over the winning, and that's a personal choice.

7. As said before, 82 game seasons come down to a single point at times. But yeah, the bottom-feeders? Who cares.

8. You cannot execute anything without taking on risk, so that's irrelevant. However, lately the NHL has figured out how to ensure outcomes more clearly. Parity in the points standings and series management via. penalty control. PED useage when required.

9. 'Luck' of course isn't affected. So also irrelevant. Good luck can be countered by the end. As well as bad luck.

[TOMapleLaughs]

As for the Bertuzzi thing, Laraque knew what he was talking about. There were rumblings among all the league's big-body stars that Bertuzzi was juicing. He wasn't the only one, certainly. People at all levels have taken a blind eye approach to the problem. Because the NHL is lower-profile than MLB, hopefully they won't be dragged down into the mud like they were. But don't kid yourself thinking PED use isn't still going on. That's insane.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

As for the Bertuzzi thing, Laraque knew what he was talking about. There were rumblings among all the league's big-body stars that Bertuzzi was juicing. He wasn't the only one, certainly. People at all levels have taken a blind eye approach to the problem. Because the NHL is lower-profile than MLB, hopefully they won't be dragged down into the mud like they were. But don't kid yourself thinking PED use isn't still going on. That's insane.

I know some players are doing it that's for sure. I learnt about the symptoms of steroids and I see some players with them. I also see this in other sport's too though. I can only speak about steroids as I don't have knowledge about the others.

[aqua59]

Were we screwed in 2011? Yes. But did we also benefit? Also yes.

The playoffs have been rigged for quite some time. The league says so itself: 'History will be made.' And in recent years we've seen far to many epic collapses after being up 3-0 in a series, or even in a game 7 for it to be normal.

Meanwhile, American O4 teams view themselves as the league's true deserving power. If you are to face them and you're not an American O4 team yourself, odds are you'll have no chance in the finals.

As for the way we were bounced out by American O4 teams, the way Boston and Chicago trounced this team is indicative of PED abuse. If you look at how they played the other series against other teams, they weren't nearly as pumped up.

Canada has been subsidizing league growth down south for decades, yet we see no cups. Instead we see SoCal teams getting preferential treatment while they try to grow the game in Cali. (Let there be no mistake, once they start losing again, their alluvasudden fans and twitter account will vanish.)

Back to 2011. Look at all the 'heroics' Boston performed over and over again. Too many series went to game 7. That's controlled. Too many times were they just made to look like heroes, when in fact they're just a goon squad.

That being said, yes, we also beneffited in 2011. The SJ series was a joke. They laid down. And the Chicago series was artificially made more exciting through game-to-game management of penalties, but in the end they also laid down. And Nashville? Please.

In the end Boston's true colors popped up, the goon squad popped enough PED's to rage all over our squad and 'hockey' became a bloody gong show. We laid down while another American O4 team prospered.

Bettman's NHL is as fake as NBA basketball, and that's the way he wants it. Increase the level of parity in the league and you can control the outcomes of games, series and potentially even seasons of teams that are deemed blessed to make it all the way.

Examples of rigging:

- LA's sudden rise from barely 8th-place overpaid lazyasses to total dominance after a coaching swap? Give me a freakin' break.

- Chicago's 2010 roid-raging powerhouse. Including getting a 300lb fatass defenseman to alluvasudden skate like the wind for a long playoff run? Please. Don't see too many youngish players on other teams playing with this kind of gumption. Unless they're also 'destiny' teams.

- The Devils make it to the finals vs LA? Was that just a reward for taking on Kovy's bs contract? Yes. That team stunk.

- Ducks acquire Nieder and Pronger via shady means and rise to league power status out of the blue, making Burke king of the GM's. Was that artificial? Damn right it was. Just look at his time outside of Anaheim... Burke is a big fat idiot!

- Carolina wins cup? Hahahaha. Thanks, 'modified to suit us' NHL rulebook!

- Tampa wins cup. Calgary is still screaming murder about that missing goal that Gelinas scored. Tampa (not that great that season) was a team of pre-destiny. These wins in Florida in Carolina haven't helped matters much though, as both teams are still useless at getting fans to pay money.

All of these things happened for a reason. The NHL wants to boost game popularity down south. And to that end, it's kinda worked.

So get used to Canadian teams being screwed for another decade or two, while poor markets down there get a foothold and/or American O4 'league control' teams get their fill. And then keep in mind both TO and Mtl want their cups too. The Canucks may be waiting awhile folks.

You really believe this? Nice fantasy story.

[ForsbergTheGreat]

1. Not all players are in on it. Not all owners are in on it. Why would they need to be?

Why would the players and owners stand for this. Players aren't always superstars from the moment they enter the league and they don't always remain superstar their entire career, why be they ok making tens of millions $ one year to less than a million 5 years later.

2. Refs have more control than you think. With parity in the standings a single point can make or break a season. With goals at a premium in the playoffs, a single call or non-call can affect a game's outcome.

Again refs can impact a game not guarantee the outcome.

3. Some injuries are faked to gain cap compliancy.

Broken backs, legs, fingers, noses, guys getting taken off stretchers. Was the Rome hit planned? We can all see the connection of the hit. Something tells me you've never played the sport before.

4. Emotion shown by players is irrelevant in rigging. Esp. when not all players are aware of it.

You mentioned Vancouver being part of it. Kesler was a big part of our success in our cup run, yet he shows that real emotion almost every game something thats not fake. If not every player is in on it how do they guarantee success. Players not in on it can out play players that are in on it.

5. Relationships to the players are also irrelevant. You know why Hossa went from Team A to Team B to Team C? Because he figured out which teams are going to be benefactors asap.

Relationship to players who are not in the NHL. I have friends in the NHL as I'm sure lots of other people do. Why has this not leaked, again "we’ve seen what effort and hard work they’ve went through in their lives to get to that point." . Too bad Hossa was wrong twice.

6. Salary is irrelevant. Some chose the millions (Kessel, various Rangers players) over the winning, and that's a personal choice.

Some get paid millions because they've won. Why would Players on other teams stand for that.

7. As said before, 82 game seasons come down to a single point at times. But yeah, the bottom-feeders? Who cares.

Exactly a single after playing 82 games. One or two games gone wrong and guess what you don't make playoffs.

8. You cannot execute anything without taking on risk, so that's irrelevant. However, lately the NHL has figured out how to ensure outcomes more clearly. Parity in the points standings and series management via. penalty control. PED useage when required.

Learn Business 101 there is two types of risk, hockey would definitely not be a safe investment. You don't become as rich as an owner continually taking those types high risks. Also learn more about steroids, It's doesn't affect hockey IQ something very important in winning hockey games. You give players more credit than you should, you really think they can pin point their shots and goalies movement to the very .01 of a second. Get real.

9. 'Luck' of course isn't affected. So also irrelevant. Good luck can be countered by the end. As well as bad luck.

Just like the puck going of the stanchion sending the canucks to the SCF. Can't counter that one.

You drinking way too much of kool aid. Thats ok some people enjoy a fantasy world because they can't handle reality. Reality like the fact the canucks have never one a cup, not because they league prevented them from it but because they haven't had the best teams on the ice in the league to do so. The fact of the matter if you've ever played the sport you'd never understand what it takes to win a game and all the unpredictable things that can go on throughout a game that will change the outcome. You'd also never understand the talent and skill that top NHL players have, something thats definitely not faked. On top of that, the amount of people that would have to be involved to keep something like this quite for so long it unrealistic (at least the alien theory has people claiming to get abducted). I'm done arguing with you about this, its a waste of my time. Enjoy watching your staged hockey and cheering on a team that the league apparently will not allow to win a cup.

[TOMapleLaughs]

You drinking way too much of kool aid. Thats ok some people enjoy a fantasy world because they can't handle reality. Reality like the fact the canucks have never one a cup, not because they league prevented them from it but because they haven't had the best teams on the ice in the league to do so. The fact of the matter if you've ever played the sport you'd never understand what it takes to win a game and all the unpredictable things that can go on throughout a game that will change the outcome. You'd also never understand the talent and skill that top NHL players have, something thats definitely not faked. On top of that, the amount of people that would have to be involved to keep something like this quite for so long it unrealistic (at least the alien theory has people claiming to get abducted). I'm done arguing with you about this, its a waste of my time. Enjoy watching your staged hockey and cheering on a team that the league apparently will not allow to win a cup.

The thing about it being kept quiet is, yeah, why would they not?

MLB had a steroid conspiracy for years and years. They were all pretty darn quiet until congress stepped in, weren't they. That's the players, other players, their relations, the management, and the owners. So why is it so difficult for you to understand how other pro sports leagues can act that way as well? Like the Nba reffing conspiracy. Soccer games being rigged. And y'know, typical weekend football bet rigging. Yeah, it's all there. Yeah, and you're not hearing a lot of them admit it straight up.

And again with the 'Canucks have not one a cup' reasoning. As i've already pointed out, the Canucks have been benefactors multiple times. Just not fortunate enough to be an ultimate benefactor. The time will come.

I'm afraid it is you who is living in a naive fantasy land thinking that pro sports leagues are honest. But really, to the average fan it won't even matter. They're going to lap up whatever the league dishes out and be quite content with the bs. Enjoy.

[TOMapleLaughs]

The puck going off the stantion was luck. That series being just 5 games was reffing.

I was talking about PED's, not just steroids. Other PED's are more beneficial than steroids in hockey today, but the NHL definately had a steroid era. It's called the dead puck era.

People who's livelihoods depend on their performance level...Probably don't want it to be known that they and/or were cheating. Might explain why you're not in the loop? Would you blabber about something to your friends about it if you knew it could get you in deep, deep trouble? Not difficult to grasp.

The Canucks laid down in game 7. They played an emotionless, loser brand of hockey that we didn't see all playoffs long because they all knew, one way or the other, that Boston was taking it. They pathetically lost 4-0, and looking at how the series went down, there were multiple things that transpired, esp. the precident-setting Rome suspension and the refs letting the raging Bruins get away with bloody murder from the Horton incident onwards, that would lead us to believe that it was over before it was over. That, after being gift-wrapped the SJ series in which that team was penalized much, much too often.

Some injuries are real. Some are faked for cap compliance. The Canucks have used that in recent seasons.

[Blueberries]

I actually believe the Kings were using steroids in their cup run.

[hockeyisgood]

No it hasn't. Unless closing your eyes and your ears and going 'la-la-la-la, everything is just fine thanks very much' counts.

LOL, you're using almost exactly what I used against you in another thread. So maybe I should do the same to you right now:

Where's all your links and proof of all this? I want to see links! Oh wait I get it, you're trolling

[TOMapleLaughs]

If you google 'evidence NHL hockey is rigged', you'll actually find hundreds and hundreds of discussions with all sorts of evidence being presented.

Bottom line is if the NFL, NBA, MLB, all soccer leagues, etc. have games that are fixed, even for sports betting alone, it's quite ignorant to think that the NHL doesn't have the same problem.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

Any sports fan in North America can tell you about the steroids problem in Major League Baseball. It’s the hot topic of discussion throughout the sports world.

But, what many don’t think to question is the NHL and whether or not there’s a problem with performance enhancing drugs in hockey.

And so begs the question: Is there a PED problem in the NHL?

“I think it would be naïve to say that there’s no one in the NHL that is trying to get the edge in that fashion”, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told Sportsnet The Fan 590. “But at the end of the day, whether you get caught now or not, down the road at some point those sort of things come out, as we’ve seen in Major League Baseball and cycling.

“Eventually … someone is going to save their own butt and throw you under the bus. And that’s your legacy. That’s what people remember: that you’re a cheater and you took performance enhancing drugs.”

Following the lockout that shortened the 2013 season from 82 games to just 48, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to expand the league’s random drug testing to include random tests during the playoffs and offseason in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. Also written into the new CBA is an expanded list of prohibited drugs.

It’s rarely ever talked about, but it could very well be an issue that is flying under the radar at the moment. If that is the case, hockey fans could have a PED scandal fly in their faces in the future, similar to the way the steroids scandal did to Major League Baseball fans. In an anonymous poll conducted by ESPN The Magazine, 20% of NHL players polled said that they believe some of their teammates are taking PED’s. While this number appears to be low, consider that only 30 players were polled, and of those 30, only six said they believe some of their teammates use PED’s. There could easily be many more players who feel some of their teammates are taking PED’s.

Since the inception of a PED testing program in the CBA following the lockout that cancelled the 2004-2005 season, only two players have ever been caught, and beyond that, only one of them was suspended. New York Islanders defenseman Sean Hill was suspended for 20 games in 2007 for violating the league’s drug policy. Florida Panthers goalie Jose Theodore was busted in 2006 for testing positive for a substance that could have been used to mask the use of PED’s, but he sought a medical exemption for the substance and was subsequently excused. There was no sudden flurry of positive tests, and thus there was no scandal that followed. 2,011 players have appeared in at least one NHL game since the 2004-2005 lockout ended. Only one out of 2,011 has tested positive. It’s not a big surprise, considering the fact that PED’s can’t help hockey players produce points the way that they help baseball players hit home runs.

But, there are many players who still claim that steroids are a problem in the NHL. Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque wrote quite a bit about steroid use in the NHL in his book, “The Story of the NHL’s Unluckiest Tough Guy”.

“I have to say that tough guys weren’t the only players using steroids in the NHL”, Laraque wrote. “It was true that a lot of them did use this drug, but other, more talented players did too. Most of us knew who they were, but not a single player, not even me, would ever think of raising his hand to break the silence and accuse a fellow player.”

Laraque, while refusing to accuse any players by name, gave hints as to what to look for.

“First, you just have to notice how some talented players will experience an efficiency loss as well as a weight loss every four years, those years being the ones the Winter Olympics are held. In the following season, they make a strong comeback; they manage a mysterious return to form.”

The PED testing that is done by the International Olympic Committee, as well as the International Ice Hockey Federation, is as strict as it gets. Testing is done to detect a wide range of banned substances, and is done in conjunction with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Numerous athletes from various sports, including hockey, have tested positive for a banned substance since the introduction of PED testing in 1968. However, none of the hockey players that have ever tested positive for a banned substance were NHL players at any point in their careers. If NHL players truly are using PED’s, then why haven’t any of the NHL’s top players been busted under Olympic drug testing? Every country that is participating in the Winter Olympics with an ice hockey team must submit to the IOC and IIHF their long roster. This roster consists of what will eventually be their 25 man roster, their 48 man camp invitation roster, and then even more players that could be invited to camp in the event that a player declines their invite, is injured, or is unable to attend due to other reasons. The NHL sends players from the USA, Canada, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Austria, and even Belarus to play in the Winter Olympics every four years, and none of those players have ever been caught. Could it be for the reasons Laraque gives? Perhaps. But, it’s far more feasible that NHL players are not using steroids.

At least not the skill players.

Laraque also claims that the enforcers and tough guys of the NHL would use steroids to gain weight before making it to the professional level, and would then rely on substances such as ephedrine to desensitize them as a way to prepare for fights.

“Before a game, as I would warm up on the ice, I would always look at the tough guy on the other side”, Laraque said. “If his arms were trembling, if his eyes were bulging, I knew for sure he wasn’t going to feel any of the punches I would give him.”

While it may not be very far-fetched, the fact of the matter is that there still has only been one player to have ever tested positive for PED’s under the league’s new testing program.

Porter Fischer, a former Biogenesis Clinic employee who is now the whistleblower (or snitch) in the ongoing MLB investigation into PED use that has come to be known as the Biogenesis Scandal, said this summer that he knows of up to a dozen athletes who are still unnamed from the MLB, the NBA, the NCAA, the pro tennis tour, MMA (mixed martial arts), and boxing who did business with the Biogenesis clinic. At the same time, Fischer said that the clinic didn’t have any clients from the NHL.

Obviously, there are other places to go to and other ways to get PED’s, and even HGH. To use Jonathan Toews’ words, it would be naïve to think that no player in the NHL has ever tried to acquire such substances since the 2004-2005 lockout.

But again, with the NHL’s participation in the Winter Olympics every four years, and even the World Championship tournaments put on by the IIHF every year, it would be difficult to imagine any of the players that represent their countries in these events taking steroids or HGH.

However, the tragic case of the late Derek Boogaard shows that maybe PED’s aren’t the problem. Maybe the problem is prescription drug addictions.

According to Boogaard’s father, he was able to obtain numerous prescriptions to the sleeping pill Ambien. There is a great deal of talk surrounding the NHL and Ambien, and the league is just now beginning to look into the problem.

“I’ve been on teams where it’s (Ambien) pretty out in the open”, longtime AHL journeyman and former New York Islander Mitch Fritz told John Branch of the New York Times. “… Guys will say: ‘I have Ambien. Need an Ambien?’”

Medically, Ambien isn’t thought to be addictive if it is taken properly, prolonged use isn’t recommended and it could lead to a dependence on the drug. Ambien use wouldn’t help players perform any better on the ice, but it would help them with their sleeping patterns. NHL players have hectic travel schedules, and sometimes travel across the country twice in under a week. Such travel undoubtedly wreaks havoc on players’ sleeping habits, and the use of sleep aids surely help players get a good amount of sleep. Now, under the new CBA, the NHL has made it a legitimate concern that they are monitoring. Derek Boogaard had received as many as 25 prescriptions for Ambien from 10 different doctors in a span of six months prior to his death. Under the new CBA now, however, every team must designate a person on staff to keep track of the players use of such prescription drug use by recording and monitoring each player’s use.

“I’ve been taking it (Ambien) maybe every other night right now”, Colorado Avalanche winger P.A. Parenteau told Adrian Dater of The Denver Post in February. “The other night, we got back from a road trip at 4 a.m. and I’m like ‘Ok, I need some.’ You try not to use it too often. I usually just take half a pill.”

“It’s certainly an important issue, which is why we put some things in the CBA”, NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said. “Things like the practices no earlier than nine hours later after landing, where hopefully you don’t have a situation where players have to rely on sleeping pills, because they have more time to sleep and don’t have to rush to get to sleep because of an early morning practice. Teams have tightened up on the use of Ambien and are making sure that guys are educated on making sure they are taking it as prescribed.”

“Used properly, it can be a useful drug”, Avalanche defenseman Ryan O’Byrne told Dater. “But obviously, there’s been circumstances when it’s been overused. But sleep is an issue, especially in the Western Conference. We get in later than teams in the East, and when you have to play again the next night, or have a practice the same morning, it can be tough to get enough rest.”

“I’m not sure it was ever a big problem back in the day, but maybe that’s because some of the drugs today didn’t exist back then”, former NHL coach and General Manager Scotty Bowman said. “I think most hockey players, with all the physical activity they do, don’t have trouble sleeping. But I’m sure some players have problems and need to take something sometimes.”

“Sometimes you’re just on the go so much, it’s hard to find time to rest”, Avalanche defenseman Jan Hedja told Dater. “You think you can get by without it sometimes. But you can’t. You have to get your sleep.”

Well Maybe the PED thing might be true.....

[red&white]

Regarding PED abuse, there are plenty of alligations from Laraque on various unnamed players. OV was implicated as well, but that was white-washed and brushed aside. But really, you just have to open your eyes to see how players are alluvasudden full of ridiculous energy and, well, rage.

The Canucks have been benefactors from PED abuse as well btw. Quite obvious that Todd Bertuzzi's heyday was fueled by PED's. Laraque elluded to that as well by talking about those who don't perform well during Olympic years. 2005-06 was the beginning of Todd's decline, just before he was dumped out of here, and he has been a shadow of his former self ever since. Roids? 90pt tremendous power forward. No roids? 40pt vacant shell. Why? Well, the Canucks at the time desperately needed the WCE to perform at an elite level 30mins a night, or they were probably going to be forced to move down south during the NHL's Canadian dollar crisis. That is a fact - Brian Burke said a phonecall was all it would take, and buh-bye Canucks.

No, obviously I am not crying boo-hoo-hoo about the Canucks in particular. We have been part of it at times.

You are not arguing my original point with me. I'm not arguing blanket PED use in the NHL with you because I'm sure some players are getting away with it. But I still find it hard to believe that the NHL themselves are interfering with the playoffs and regular season standings to get some predetermined result to allow some teams to do better than what they should have. If the NHL hasn't learned anything from baseball turning a blind eye to PED's than they deserve what's coming to them. But can you imagine the fall out that would happen if it was discovered that the NHL was knowingly letting some teams get away with it and not others to form some sort of agenda?

[TOMapleLaughs]

Yeah. Imagine the fallout.

[a Fool]

I think you went too deep TOML. You bring up important issues though.

1. PEDs. I think there's a whole don't-ask-don't-tell thing going on with the players. I can't believe that teams would administer that stuff willingly to their own players. And thinking that it's league sanctioned is too much for me. It's not like Bettman bobbles down to the Bruins' locker room and needles Chara up the arse himself.

All playoff teams should be tested at the start of the playoffs. That would be enough for me considering the NHL is doing jack squat for testing right now.

2. Refs. PPs will decide games in a league like the NHL. Every team is capable of beating any other team, and if one team gets over double the PPs of the other team, they will win - period. I fully believe that the NHL "encourages" the refs to extend playoff series. No more evidence is needed other than the Rangers vs. Caps series last year. Other teams are also given preferential treatment (how can people even argue against this?). This BS should not be tolerated by any fans of the game of hockey.

These are serious issues with the NHL right now, but it's not rigged WWE style. I'm almost wishing it was though at this point. Maybe we'd see Bettman strut out to hand the Cup to someone only to get hit over the head with a folding chair.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

I think you went too deep TOML. You bring up important issues though.

1. PEDs. I think there's a whole don't-ask-don't-tell thing going on with the players. I can't believe that teams would administer that stuff willingly to their own players. And thinking that it's league sanctioned is too much for me. It's not like Bettman bobbles down to the Bruins' locker room and needles Chara up the arse himself.

All playoff teams should be tested at the start of the playoffs. That would be enough for me considering the NHL is doing jack squat for testing right now.

2. Refs. PPs will decide games in a league like the NHL. Every team is capable of beating any other team, and if one team gets over double the PPs of the other team, they will win - period. I fully believe that the NHL "encourages" the refs to extend playoff series. No more evidence is needed other than the Rangers vs. Caps series last year. Other teams are also given preferential treatment (how can people even argue against this?). This BS should not be tolerated by any fans of the game of hockey.

These are serious issues with the NHL right now, but it's not rigged WWE style. I'm almost wishing it was though at this point. Maybe we'd see Bettman strut out to hand the Cup to someone only to get hit over the head with a folding chair.

Sometimes I feel sorry for Bettman he doesn't deserve all the hate he gets.

[hockeyisgood]

If you google 'evidence NHL hockey is rigged', you'll actually find hundreds and hundreds of discussions with all sorts of evidence being presented.

Bottom line is if the NFL, NBA, MLB, all soccer leagues, etc. have games that are fixed, even for sports betting alone, it's quite ignorant to think that the NHL doesn't have the same problem.

All I found was a bunch of dolts on internet forums presenting baseless claims and theories with nothing to back themselves up, much like...

[DIBdaQUIB]

Oh great another one of these topics. Yes of course the playoffs are rigged. What else could possibly explain the Canucks losing?

It wasn't just the Nucks. How about how in game 7 between Boston and Tampa suddenly, the refs stop calling penalties against the Bruins who were getting killed by Tampa's PP? Boston's owner is president of the NHL Board...Campbell's son played for the Bruins (and he had been accused of manipulating refs in this regard before). The suspension on Rome in 2011 was a travesty. A hit that until that point was never even a penalty and suddenly justifies a suspension for the balance of the playoffs? Right!

I don't think he league is necessarily "fixed" but I do believe various aspects of the game are manipulated to the advantage of certain teams to achieve the outcome the league desires.