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  • CANOE NAGANO '98 ISP DIRECTORY

    		• canada sked medal results SLAM! NAGANO

    Friday, February 6, 1998

    Will NHLers heed Sudafed warning?

     NAGANO, Japan (AP) -- The warnings have gone out for months. Now, officials will find out if NHL players have been paying ttention about Sudafed.
     The players, who begin arriving at the Olympics on Monday, have been told that the over-the-counter cold medication is banned by the International Olympic Committee because it contains pseudoephedrine, which in large amounts acts as a stimulant.
     Sudafed is not banned by the NHL, and Sports Illustrated reported last week that 20 percent of the league's players routinely use it to increase their energy.
     But testing positive for Sudafed in the Olympics would cause a player to be banned if he was caught during the early-round games, which begin Saturday. In the medal round, his team would be disqualified as well.
     "People have been warned since Day 1 of training camp and a lot of guys have been tested," the Bruins' Ray Bourque, who will play for Canada, said from Boston. "If they get caught, it's their own fault."
     "From September on, we've been warned about what substances not to use," Canada's Chris Pronger said. "Anyone who gets caught using something they shouldn't deserves to be punished."
     Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said Friday he trusts that NHL players will abide by the rules.
     "We hope to really not have any problem like this," he said. "We trust the players that they will not cheat."
     Some players said they never had taken Sudafed for anything but colds.
     "When I have taken it, it has made me dragged out," Brett Hull, who'll play for the United States, said. "It certainly hasn't made me stronger or quicker."
     The chief Olympic drug tester, Dr. Makato Ueki, said Wednesday he expects Sudafed to show up in testing of some hockey players -- and lead to their disqualification. Fasel said Ueki's comment was "stupid."
     "I was very disappointed about this statement," Fasel said. "The most important thing to speak about here is hockey, not drugs."
     Fasel said Sudafed hasn't been a problem in hockey's world championships, where 50 to 60 NHL players participate.
     "Don't make a problem before we have a problem," Fasel said. "The players know exactly what they have to do. The risk (from cheating) is too high."