Backstrom popped for doping

[scpensfan]

AP: Backstrom out of gold medal game because he was popped for doping.

[columbia]

Sweden’s star center Nicklas Backstrom wasn’t allowed to play in the gold medal game against Canada after testing positive for a banned substance.

An NHLPA source tells Yahoo Sports that Backstrom violated anti-doping rules after using an allergy medication. Some, like Claritin, contain pseudoephedrine, a banned substance by the IOC and the World Anti-Doping Federation

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympi ... 20293.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[columbia]

The rules are the rules, but this seems a bit silly.

One of my brothers was helicopter pilot in the army and they were definitely forbidden from taking certain cold and allergy medications, in a certain window before flying.
In a situation like that, it makes sense.

[Durbano]

And here I thought it would have been AO all along

[meow]

He took a Claritin D pill. Hardly performance enhancing.

[penny lane]

He took a Claritin D pill. Hardly performance enhancing.

It barely helps with the allergies.
This is on Backstrom though; they all know what will show up in their waste.

[tfrizz]

He took a Claritin D pill. Hardly performance enhancing.

It barely helps with the allergies.
This is on Backstrom though; they all know what will show up in their waste.

Elliotte Friedman echoed the same sentiment - he hardly considers Claritin to be performance enhancing.

I've got no problem with players taking it if they legitimately need it. However, they've got nobody to blame but the very same athletes who were abusing the system by taking cold & allergy medication back in the 90s and early 2000s to enhance their breathing despite being perfectly healthy.

http://www.cnnsi.com/vault/article/maga ... /index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The brand names vary—pseudoephedrine can be found in dozens of cold remedies—but Sudafed remains the most popular choice for players who want a pick-me-up. It's the NHL's dirty little secret, and with the Olympics imminent, it is of great concern to the league because although Sudafed is legal, it is on the Olympic list of banned substances. Consider the following:

?Anecdotal accounts of Sudafed abuse in the league abound. A former coach says one of his players built up such a tolerance to the medication that he had to gobble 20 pills to get the desired boost.

Unfortunately for Backstrom, Claritin-D contains pseudoephedrine (regular Claritin does not) which is a banned substance.

[MRandall25]

Yeah, pseudophedrine is an upper. It's why it's used to make meth.

I feel bad that he didn't get to play, but if you know what's banned, you need to avoid taking it.

[Desiato]

Pseudoephedrine is an amphetamine; which are performance enhancing. Amphetamine abuse is widespread in pro sports, including the NHL.

When the eyes of players bulge with dilated pupils, it's not just because they're into the game. It's a real problem that the NHL doesn't want to touch.

I don't think it's detectable in urine for very long which may suggest Backstrom used it during the olympics while other players were going through withdrawal.

[pensfan1989]

Color me shocked that a Capitals player was using a banned substance.

[Humperdink]

It was my understanding that Olympic athletes are to ingest no medications, none, zero, without approval from the team medical staff. What was he thinking?

[Gaucho]

Funny how many endurance athletes have some sort of allergy.

[ShaPe]

Bäckström had talked to the team doctor and was given the green light to take them (I think the doctor said one a day).

[Humperdink]

Bäckström had talked to the team doctor and was given the green light to take them (I think the doctor said one a day).

Great advice.

[Tomas]

Bäckström had talked to the team doctor and was given the green light to take them (I think the doctor said one a day).

...and would anybody expect any team doctor anywhere on the planet to say anything else?

[jimjom]

Agree that Claritin barely works, LOL. So not worth it.

Sudafed just makes me tired and spacey. I could never play a hockey game on that stuff.

[tfrizz]

Agree that Claritin barely works, LOL. So not worth it.

Sudafed just makes me tired and spacey. I could never play a hockey game on that stuff.

Claritin also doesn't contain pseudoephedrine, but Claritin-D does.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

I'm pretty sure Backstrom doesn't pass the "is he taking steriods?" eye test.

[meecrofilm]

Pseudoephedrine is an amphetamine; which are performance enhancing. Amphetamine abuse is widespread in pro sports, including the NHL.

When the eyes of players bulge with dilated pupils, it's not just because they're into the game. It's a real problem that the NHL doesn't want to touch.

And yet, Orpik still sucks.

[She'sTheFastest]

Agree that Claritin barely works, LOL. So not worth it.

Sudafed just makes me tired and spacey. I could never play a hockey game on that stuff.

Sudafed plays tricks on me. Crazy stuff.

[penny lane]

Pseudoephedrine is an amphetamine; which are performance enhancing. Amphetamine abuse is widespread in pro sports, including the NHL.

When the eyes of players bulge with dilated pupils, it's not just because they're into the game. It's a real problem that the NHL doesn't want to touch.

And yet, Orpik still sucks.

cruel... but funny!