Penguins players take simple steps to avoid troubles with performance enhancing substances

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins encountered a pretty stacked lineup deployed by the Florida Panthers in a 4-3 shootout loss at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.

Because of the depth they have accrued in recent years, the Panthers have participated in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, winning the 2024 title. All that talent is why they are considered a favorite to return to a third consecutive championship series.

One of the players the Penguins did not have to contend with Sunday was All-Star defenseman Aaron Ekblad. He was serving the seventh game of a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

In a statement issued through the NHLPA on March 10, Ekblad acknowledged his responsibility for the suspension.

“Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” Ekblad stated. “I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.”

Suspensions for performance-enhancing substances are relatively rare in the NHL, at least compared to other sports. Before Ekblad, the last NHLer to face discipline for this type of violation was defenseman Nate Schmidt, then of the Vegas Golden Knights, in 2018.

Random testing is fairly regular in the NHL, and a handful of Penguins players were subject to such tests after a practice at UMPC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry as recently as March 12.

Among those on the Penguins’ roster queried on the topic, they largely profess a rudimentary approach to any supplements they may take without violating any rules.

“Whatever the trainers give you,” Penguins forward Kevin Hayes said. “That’s it.”

It’s a bit more complicated as to what team staffers may provide but, essentially, anything that the Penguins or any other franchise can provide a player has to be certified by the NSF International.

(The letters formerly stood for National Sanitation Foundation before the group simply adopted the initials as its name.)

Founded in 1944, NSF initially established sanitation standards for everything from soda fountains to ice makers.

By the 2000s, NSF began to test and certify dietary supplements. Today, its Certified for Sport program is recognized by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Major League Baseball, the Canadian Football League and the NHL.

Anything the Penguins’ medical staffers provide to players must carry the “NSF Certified Sport” logo on the container.

“They always tell us if you get it, it has that NSF Certified logo on any bottle or container that you’re taking stuff from,” Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said. “They always say the safest thing to do is just get it from the team. If the team has it, it’s more likely or not or 99.9999999% positive that it’s going to have that logo on it that it needs.

“We have access to so many different things that it’s hard sometimes. It’s easy to overlook. But you’ve just got to be careful as you can and be cautious as you can when you’re taking stuff, especially if it’s things you’re not getting from the rink.”

But players aren’t always at the rink, particularly in the summer when they return home and engage in offseason training.

The NHL and NHLPA provide literature — a pamphlet — and a website to check on the legality of any supplement players might encounter. And they always have the option simply to call/text/e-mail/etc. a team’s doctor or athletic trainer.

“We have a website which all the supplements that you’re allowed to take are on it,” said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, the team’s representative to the NHLPA. “Anything that is not on that website is a risk to take.

“If I have a doubt on something that is not a supplement but maybe could have something, I usually call the doctors or whoever. But most of the time, I take whatever product we have here and take it home.”

Players have no shortage of resources to avoid any violations. But, as Ekblad suggested, mishaps can happen.

“To be honest, you’re always worried about it,” Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves said. “There’s so many things that you could encounter. You hope that it’s good. If you ever get a smoothie somewhere, you never know. Things like that. You have to live your life. You have to be able to do things. You can’t just be worried all the time, but you’re definitely mindful of the supplements you take. The things at the rink are all certified. You try to stay within those parameters to avoid things.

“The Nate Schmidt (suspension) a few years ago, he said it was the tiniest little bit. That’s kind of scary. That’s a lot of money, games and time away from your team. Puts your team behind the eight ball.”

Ultimately, players are responsible for anything they may take.

“You try to talk to the staff and make sure that supplements and things like that are tested and checked,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. “It’s just something that you try your best to be aware of. You don’t want to miss time. At the same time, you’ve got to take care of your body, too. You’ve just got to find that balance.”