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Sides meet for more than eight hours; Bettman, Goodenow testify in Washington on steroids

Friday, August 31, 2007

The NHL and NHLPA spent more than eight hours going over team finances and accounting practices Wednesday.

The meetings started about 7 a.m. Central Time and lasted until about 3:30 in the afternoon. The two sides are set to have a bargaining session Thursday in New York.

Meanwhile, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow were in Washington Wednesday to testify on steroids before the the House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.

At issue is proposed legislation that would enforce uniform steroid testing throughout sports in the United States.

The proposed legislation calls for random testing of each athlete at least once per year, along with testing for substances that are on prohibited list issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The penalties called for would be a two-year suspension for the first offense and a lifetime ban for a second positive test.

Bettman and Goodenow both told the subcommittee that the NHL doesn't have a steroid problem and that the two-year penalty is too severe.

"This is an area best left to leagues and sports associations in collective bargaining," said Goodenow.

Bettman added that the league and the PA are working on the issue as a part of the current CBA negotiations.

"In conjunction with the new collective bargaining agreement, which we hope to have shortly, the NHL and the NHLPA anticipate an effective and meaningful new program that will feature, in addition to enhanced educational efforts, frequent and no-notice testing coupled with the immediate and mandatory discipline for the use of performance enhancing drugs," Bettman said in his prepared testimony before the subcommittee.