In hockey, doping scandals are rare, but sometimes the Russians get here too. Moreover, most often the International Ice Hockey Federation punishes athletes for simple inattention: prohibited substances enter their bodies as part of household medicines.

Recently, a severe punishment overtook the young hockey player Dmitry Komarov, who was taking the usual remedy for the common cold. The Chaika defender was suspended from the sport for a long time.

A guy’s career will be ruined because of one mistake?

Made a mistake by negligence

The story of Komarov’s positive doping test has been going on since last year. Doping tests of the defender of the Nizhny Novgorod “Seagull” were taken on November 30 after the match with the Siberian “Snipers” in the regular season of the MHL. In the body of an 18-year-old defender, tuaminoheptane, a substance that is on the WADA banned list, was found.

Tuaminoheptane is used in nasal sprays, but in 2011 it was recognized as doping. Since then, this substance belongs to the class of stimulants that help to breathe better and endure stress, and even improve the reaction. True, thanks to the remedy for the common cold, it is unlikely that it will be possible to become Wayne Gretzky, but getting a ban is easy. Therefore, athletes have long tried not to use such drugs.

Photo: © David Devins / Medicimage LTD / Global Look Press

True, avoiding such problems is quite simple, especially since the recommendations of anti-doping agencies are in the public domain. First, the team sports doctor is required to inform the players about changes to the list of prohibited substances. Secondly, hockey players themselves should consult with the medical staff of the club before using drugs. RUSADA even forces athletes to take a special online test, which details doping.

Komarov will break his career?

Komarov, it seems, passed his exam with a cheat sheet. The young defender did not check the medicine that the doctor prescribed for him, and got caught on the “ban”. The hockey player failed to explain the situation: the IIHF rejected the player’s appeal. Komarov received an 8-month suspension, the period of which is counted from March 23, 2022.

At the same time, the IIHF said that Komarov had used the banned substance unintentionally, but this circumstance only helped to reduce the hockey player’s disqualification period. For the use of tuaminoheptane, a disqualification for a period of two to four years is provided. Dmitry got eight months.

Dmitry Komarov / Photo: © HC Chaika

However, this period is enough to break the career of a young hockey player. According to the suspension rules, the hockey player cannot even train with the team. For the defender, that ill-fated season was the debut in the MHL – a missed year at the very beginning of the journey can greatly affect the development of a player.

However, from a legal point of view, the hockey player was punished fairly. Much more questions in this situation are not to the IIHF or to the anti-doping agencies, but to the player’s environment. It is clear that Komarov got into such a situation due to inexperience – the club, by default interested in the progress of its players, should deal with the prevention of such incidents.

A longstanding MHL problem

Not only Komarov faced similar problems among Russian hockey players. Every year, the FHR and IIHF take about 400 doping tests, and sometimes a few are positive. Even top KHL hockey players were accused of using banned substances. For example, in the 2016/17 season, Danis Zaripov got it, but he managed to prove his innocence.

Danis Zaripov / Photo: © KHL / Alexander Koval

Hockey players from the youth league are usually not so lucky. In 2020, for example, two goalkeepers of the MHL clubs were immediately disqualified. Methylhexanamine and the same tuaminoheptane were found in their samples.