Bob Hartley: International Rule-Breaker

I don't normally look for crazy international stories on the weekend when I'm trying to relax, but this one has all sorts of intrigue mixed into it. Bob Hartley, pictured to the left coaching Latvia, is the current head coach of Avangard Omsk in the KHL. His team went on a nice run before running into the CSKA juggernaut in the Gagarin Cup Final that ended Avangard's season. For a team that has arena problems, being the second-best KHL team this season only bodes well for the future. Or so it seemed, at least, until RUSADA and Russian drug testing got involved because Bob Hartley is reportedly facing a four-year suspension from the KHL and possibly international hockey after it was alleged that he interfered with a drug test intended for one of the Avangard players.

I'll say this upfront: everyone here is innocent until proven guilty. Bob Hartley's actions, if any, have yet to be confirmed by anyone, and Avangard Omsk is stating that the report is "a blatant lie". RUSADA, for what it's worth, doesn't have a shining reputation of any sort following their actions in being complicit in the drug cheating that happened at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, so get yourself a few grains of salt as you read through the next few paragraphs.

Here's where the matter surfaced.

Bob Hartley could face up to a 4-year suspension. According to multiple Russian outlets he allegedly interfered with RUSADA attempt to do a doping test on one of Avangard players. Appears as there is going to be an investigation on the matter.

— Aivis Kalniņš (@A_Kalnins) April 27, 2019

Aivis Kalniņš is a respected reporter who covers a lot of KHL news, so I have no reason to doubt the veracity of his reporting in this case. He continues,

“Avangard” in a statement have called it “a blatant lie” stating that team doctor and Hartley never permitted RUSADA from running any tests. While there are claims that the player snuck away so that he wouldn’t have to be tested.

— Aivis Kalniņš (@A_Kalnins) April 27, 2019

And he added,

KHL, Russian Hockey Federation as well as IIHF and other parties have been notified about the situation. Avangard has also submitted a letter to league stating that team has always complied with any doping procedures and it’s all probably “just an misunderstanding”.

— Aivis Kalniņš (@A_Kalnins) April 27, 2019

In a nutshell, it sounds like there will be an investigation into whether Bob Hartley was involved in this infraction, and, if he was, he'll likely be punished by the KHL and the IIHF for his involvement. If Avangard is playing this off as "just a misunderstanding," it sounds like there might be some truth to RUSADA's report regarding Hartley's involvement in whatever happened. Either way, there's likely a lot more that hasn't been said about what went down than what has been said.

Other than what Aivis Kalniņš has tweeted, not much more information has been released today. Hartley, with the Gagarin Cup awarded to CSKA, has moved on to Latvia where he'll coach the nation's team at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Slovakia while things are sorted out in the KHL. Latvia's first game is against Austria on Saturday, May 11 at Ondrej Nepala Arena in Bratislava followed by a game against Switzerland on Sunday. Let's just hope that this won't be a distraction for Hartley because the Latvians will need some solid coaching if they hope to make some noise in this tournament.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!