LEWISTON – They don’t believe it. A coach says it can’t be so. Ditto for the Maineiacs goalie.

But a Montreal newspaper swears it’s true: Between 50 and 60 percent of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players use stimulants, says La Presse.

A Tuesday article in La Presse quoted league sources, including commissioner Gilles Courteau and the president of the doctors’ committee, Dr. Jean-Luc Betit, talking about substance abuse. It was released to mass audiences via the Internet Tuesday.

Later in the afternoon, the league issued a press release through its Web site in response to the story.

“The consumption of drugs, abusive alcohol intake or stimulating products for the purpose of improving performance is contrary to the policy of the QMJHL,” said Courteau. “The subject of the use of illegal substances is a very serious matter that we are taking just as seriously. However, this is a very complex problem which touches society as a whole and the QMJHL is very determined to do all that is in its power to counteract any doping and find solutions to even better prevent and control the situation.”

In the article, Courteau was candid about his knowledge of the apparent problem.

“I am not going to bury my head in the sand and say that nothing is consumed in this league,” Courteau told La Presse. “I understand that it happens, but I have nothing else really to say, other than the numbers seem a bit high to me.”

At the Central Maine Civic Center, the response was surprise. Assistant coach Ed Harding raised his eyebrows when asked about the report. He asked to see a copy of the article.

“I’m really not familiar with the problem as far as the league is concerned,” said Harding. “I’ve only been involved with the team and with the league now for four months. Honestly, I haven’t seen it, so I would have to say no.”

On Nov. 4, Courteau visited the Maineiacs organization as part of a tour of the 16 league teams. One subject that came up in the meetings was the league’s push for a substance abuse policy.

“We talked about that when he came up,” said Harding. “We know that they are planning on something, but I am not sure what that will be.”

Courteau said that throughout his tour of the league, the subject came up, but no problems were ever discussed.

“In the tour, we met with players, doctors, coaches and GMs,” said Courteau. “We made it a point to talk about the drug issue, and at the end of the tour, there was nothing from the answers that we got that would alert us to any major problems.”

Goaltender Matt Davis was also surprised by the report.

“As a goalie, I can’t understand why I would want to use all of that anyway,” said Davis. “I am anxious enough before a game as it is. You always hear about it, though.”

Davis, like the rest of his teammates, was given guidelines to follow from the beginning of the season. Not only were team rules discussed, but so were local and national drug laws.

“We basically told them the difference between Canadian and American laws,” said Police Chief Bill Welch. “We talked about drinking and the drinking age, driving while intoxicated and about drugs. We explained to them the zero tolerance policy, and some of the problems that they may run into in town.”

Some players, like Davis, have been prescribed painkillers for injuries. Davis is nursing a bad back.

“Those are controlled,” said Davis, “and you have to take them on a schedule. If you overuse anything it can be a problem, but as far as what they are talking about, I’ve never seen anyone pop pills before a game or anything. Even if there are people doing that, I am sure they would be very careful about letting anyone see them.”

The locker room rules assess fines of players consuming anything other than their prescribed medicines. That was clear from the first day of camp.

“That was one of the first rules,” said Davis. “Right from the beginning.”

“I would hope that the boys would, on their own power, be able to get up for the games,” said Harding. “As a former player, I was shocked when I heard about players taking Sudafed years ago, never mind all of this garbage.”

The history

The league has never punished players for drug use. In the La Presse article, Courteau remembered when the league tested players for steroids.

“We have had policies regarding testing in the past,” Courteau told La Presse. “Drugs and alcohol. When a player tested positive, we told the player, but there were no sanctions. We have never thrown a player out because of a positive test.”

On a larger scale, the problem of hockey players using drugs to enhance performance isn’t new.

For years, players have been using over-the-counter products like Sudafed to open blood vessels and increase blood flow, causing hypertension and hyperactivity. While that may momentarily help players during a game, it can adversely effect sleep patterns or blood flow, and has been proven to cause strokes.

“There isn’t a doctor in this league who hasn’t seen cases of ephedrine use in recent seasons,” Betit told La Presse. “Several times this season, we have had major cases, with symptoms like shaking, abdominal pain, serious muscle spasms, insomnia and stroke.”

What’s next

According to the QMJHL, the league’s anti-doping policy has been the subject of discussion with government authorities trying to bring the three Canadian Hockey League arms – the QMJHL, the WHL and the OHL – under one policy.

The new policy, according to the release, will ban substances already banned by the World Antidoping Agency and require testing of athletes, something abandoned several years ago.

“The new policy rests on a zero tolerance approach and anticipates improved preventive and testing measures,” said Courteau. “And it aims at supporting athletes fighting a doping or consumption problem. It is a complex problem that touches not just our league, but all of society.”

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