GDT Mar. 18, Avs vs Habs, 7:30 PM

[JMMR]

Eller can be a 50 point player.

He needs to be positive and not worry about his line mates and play a more direct game.

Last year heading into the play-offs he drove the net and the pace of play he has shyed away from that greatly since Gryba.

[Guest Stogey24]

Eller can be a 50 point player.

He needs to be positive and not worry about his line mates and play a more direct game.

Last year heading into the play-offs he drove the net and the pace of play he has shyed away from that greatly since Gryba.

His first few games of this season he looked like he was on steroids. Then he faded

[Lovett's Magnatones]

His first few games of this season he looked like he was on steroids. Then he faded

He gained a lot of weight in the off season. It's almost laughed about when someone mentions steroid use in the NHL, but I'm sure they have the same problems with doping as any sport.

I find it odd that there aren't any positive results. I can't remember the last time someone tested positive.

I have my suspicions about Subban gaining twenty pounds of muscle the summer before the lockout, and Ovechkin seems like a prime candidate.

[hab29RETIRED]

He gained a lot of weight in the off season. It's almost laughed about when someone mentions steroid use in the NHL, but I'm sure they have the same problems with doping as any sport.

I find it odd that there aren't any positive results. I can't remember the last time someone tested positive.

I have my suspicions about Subban gaining twenty pounds of muscle the summer before the lockout, and Ovechkin seems like a prime candidate.

Hey, you don't remember Theodore and his postive tests for his hair-loss treatments?

[Machine of Loving Grace]

He gained a lot of weight in the off season. It's almost laughed about when someone mentions steroid use in the NHL, but I'm sure they have the same problems with doping as any sport.

I find it odd that there aren't any positive results. I can't remember the last time someone tested positive.

I have my suspicions about Subban gaining twenty pounds of muscle the summer before the lockout, and Ovechkin seems like a prime candidate.

Subban eats a whole cow every summer.

Sports science is getting so advanced that with world class trainers, world class training and world class dieting you don't need steroids to make quick gains. You can naturally gain 10-30 pounds in a few months while not losing mobility or game speed.

The truth is that questions should actually be asked about often injured veterans who bounce back and have high scoring seasons late in their career. Jagr doesn't apply because he has had crazy good health. That's where you have a real case of someone taking steroids/HGH to get back into proper training regiments and rebuilding muscle damage. That's why a lot of the long ballers took steroids. It wasn't to hit the ball farther. Guys like Bonds were clean when they were young and it wasn't like anyone was consistently hitting the ball further than a steroid free Ken Griffey Jr. could. But Griffey stayed clean and had an injury riddled career where he declined. Bonds had a career resurgence where he did better than before. It was all about sport injury recovery.

A young guy in his mid 20s gaining 20lbs over the summer and still being able to skate like the wind? That's natural in today's sports science world. An old guy in his late 30s having better scoring totals and less injuries than what he suffered in his late 20s? Now I have questions.

[Neech]

A young guy in his mid 20s gaining 20lbs over the summer and still being able to skate like the wind? That's natural in today's sports science world. An old guy in his late 30s having better scoring totals and less injuries than what he suffered in his late 20s? Now I have questions.

I think we see it as more natural than it is due to PEDs.

There are definitely PED users in the NHL, and at any career stage. The question is how many. With that much money on the line, of course some players are going to take that competitive advantage. I wouldn't be surprised if the league was holding back testing and hushing up results to maintain its PR and cash flow, much like MLB did in the 90's.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

I think we see it as more natural than it is due to PEDs.

There are definitely PED users in the NHL, and at any career stage. The question is how many. With that much money on the line, of course some players are going to take that competitive advantage. I wouldn't be surprised if the league was holding back testing and hushing up results to maintain its PR and cash flow, much like MLB did in the 90's.

What's suspicious to me is that they don't test in the off season.

[DON]

What's suspicious to me is that they don't test in the off season.

Larry is starting to look more like a linebacker and wouldn't be a huge surprise if has had some 'help'.

And I don't think any ultra competitive sport is squeaky clean. Is it 1% or 5% that is doping, hard to say.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

I should be clear that I have done a lot of research on steroids/PEDs as well as concussions. Started after the Chris Benoit murders.

I don't buy into the sport being squeaky clean either but the advances in sports medicine and sports training in the past 10 years is enormous. Do you want to be 200lbs of solid muscle? With the right money and trainers you can, free of steroids or any form of performance enhancing drug. And not just bulky muscle but muscle you can be athletic with. Not only can it be done, but if you're committed to it seven days a week? You can have it in a couple months if you stay free of injury. But then you have to stick to it.

Back in the day it was believed that hockey players would abuse PEDs in the summer when they could cycle and then stop cycling at the start of the year. Then they'd lose their weight and gains throughout the season. But it's more likely that hockey player steer clear of PEDs in the summer to have natural gains, play the game, and only look to abuse PEDs when it's late in the season and they are trying to come back from injuries. We joke about Max Pacioretty being a wolverine but he'd be the only guy on the Habs I wouldn't be shocked if they told me he was busted for PED.

[habs rule]

I don't think peds are of that much use to hockey players where speed skill and scoring goals is the object. Not to say that the goons aren't taking them cause that would make some sense. I want to know what fricking drugs Chara is on? Ahh he is proably just the missing link. With the types of physical training that can be geared to exactly what strengths you want, Peds merely become a faster way to accomplish the goal, with some very serious side effects so the risk/reward factor is becoming lower. What I mean is that it is becoming too risky from a getting caught point of view as well as the physical side effects. However having said that I agree with the others on here who said that recovery from injury would be the biggest temptation to use them. I actually think that if a guy is going to use peds it is probably in junior or minor pro leagues when they are trying to make the NHL, once there I think the incentive lowers. If for no other reason than the step up in trainers and facilities at the NHL level makes using peds less appealing. Probably imo 5 to 10 % of hockey players are taking some banned substance at any given time.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

In junior your best bet is a year before you are draft eligible. Too expensive to drug test you. Once you hit 17 and go into the draft combines they are going to test you. Elevated testosterone levels are definitely monitored.

[habs rule]

Here is a link to a very good article by a former hockey player, it is worth the read.

http://glassandout.com/2013/10/04/do-anabolic-steroids-benefit-hockey-players/