Doping Makes No Sense

I think there's absolutely zero benefit in doping as a hockey player. Hockey is a team sport that requires four lines of forwards, six defenders, and at least one of two goalies to play extremely well on any given night to win, so having one singular player doping makes absolutely no sense to me. Yet here we are, approaching the middle of May, and there's another international hockey player who will be forced to watch his nation from the sidelines because he was caught with an illegal substance in his urine following a random test conducted in February 2021.

Kazakhstan defender Alexander Pisarev is the guilty party in this doping infraction as his suspension from all international events will see him miss three years of competition dating back to May 11, 2021. Pisarev was found to have LGD-4033 bishydroxy-metabolite in his blood, a substance found on the 2021 WADA Prohibited List as an anabolic agent. Pisarev "admitted the adverse analytical finding and waived his right to disciplinary proceedings".

My question is why would Alexander Pisarev do this? He's a 28 year-old defender who scored two goals and four assists in 33 games for HK Almaty this past season, so it's not like this guy is losing a step as he seemingly never had one with which he could begin. He's never scored more than 15 points in a season in his career, and he has yet to record a point in five games representing Kazakhstan internationally. What possibly would Pisarev gain by doping based on these numbers?

For those that may be asking about this drug that Pisarev took, The Sports Integrity Initiative reports that,

LGD-4033, originally developed for the treatment of muscle wasting conditions such as aging, osteoporosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer, is promoted as a selective non-steroidal anabolic agent. It is claimed to be a substance that induces muscle (and bone) growth without the side effects associated with steroid use.

Clearly, drug-induced muscle growth would be frowned upon by nearly every sporting body and drug-testing body across the globe, but athletes should know that "a number of SARMs have associated health-risks, particularly for the heart and liver," so this drug comes with risks that can't be overlooked.

Again, I have to ask why, in a game like hockey, one would want to be gaining muscle mass when speed and skill are traits that are held in high esteem, especially in international hockey? I suppose, as a defender, Pisarev may wanted to add some bulk to his frame in terms of defending in front of the net, but it's pretty clear that he went about it the wrong way entirely.

The fact that Pisarev admitted to the finding of the drug in his urine and waived his right to any proceeding regarding the length of his suspension seems like he knew that he had ingested the illegal substance. The IIHF seemed to believe the doping was intentional, and they issued the suspension under that belief.

With no protests, Pisarev will now be excluded from IIHF competition for three years despite the IIHF release stating there were two different lengths of suspension. There were no other reports filed on Pisarev's doping infraction, so I'm going with the longer suspension because why should he be allowed back sooner?

When we talk about hockey being a team game, doping by any player might be the most selfish move one can make. It puts one's inclusion on teams at risk, but it may also remove a solid player from a roster. I can't speak of how important Alexander Pisarev was to the Kazakstani depth chart, but it won't matter for a while now that he's been caught cheating.

Again, it makes zero sense for anyone to dope in today's game, so I can't fathom any reason for Alexander Pisarev to do so. Whatever gains he thought he was going to make have been officially wiped out with these findings, so the question of why would he do this is rendered moot. Just like his international hockey career at this point.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!