Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetzov has been suspended from international play for four years by the IIHF after testing positive for cocaine at the 2019 World Championship. Very few other details are available at this time. Exactly how this impacts his standing with the Washington Capitals remains to be seen.
-
In May of 2019, a video surfaced on the internet show Kuznetzov sitting next to two lines of a powdery substance in what appeared to be a hotel room. While the video release happened one day after he won a bronze medal at the World Championship, Kuznetzov stated it was from 2018 in Las Vegas, after the Capitals had won the Stanley Cup. At the time, Kuznetzov claimed he had "nothing to hide" and said he simply walked into the room of a friend and the substance was there. After "fact-finding steps", the NHL cleared the 27-year-old forward.
"While we certainly do not condone or endorse some of the decisions he made on the night in question, Mr. Kuznetsov's account of the events that transpired aligns with other information we have been able to gather, and we have found no basis to question his representations with respect to what did — and what did not — occur," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "We consider the matter formally closed."
We're certain there will be more to come on this story.
