Domish 2 year ban

[Penaltybox]

www.icehockeyuk.co.uk/two-year-ban-for-domish-p183289

His playing days are probably over now.

[abi]

www.ukad.org.uk/anti-doping-rule-violations/current-violations/

A bit of digging also shows Brent Hughes tested positive during a time when he was playing through serious injuries, shortly before leaving. Don't think it was ever formally announced he failed a drugs test? Given the length of ban and the class of substance (Diuretics and other masking agents), i think someone must have had reasonable proof it was accidental.

Domish on the other hand has owned up to some silly decisions. Shame they've probably cost him his playing career, but given his age and the injury problems he had this year, it could well have been curtains on that this summer anyway.

[Dan]

If they banned everyone found snorting...

[5+game]

Apr 21, 2013 1:57:00 GMT Dan said:

If they banned everyone found snorting...

too right, its a goodjob its only random testing.

[Deleted]

Perhaps he can spend the time learning how to throw a proper body check.

[David]

Two years seems harsh for non-performance enhancing drugs.

[abi]

Apr 21, 2013 17:25:13 GMT David said:

Two years seems harsh for non-performance enhancing drugs.

He tested positive for two substances that happen to be illegal - cannabis and cocaine.

Much as I will defend him as a player, illegal drugs are illegal drugs.

[james1977]

Apr 21, 2013 18:20:26 GMT abi said:

Apr 21, 2013 17:25:13 GMT David said:

Two years seems harsh for non-performance enhancing drugs.

He tested positive for two substances that happen to be illegal - cannabis and cocaine.

Much as I will defend him as a player, illegal drugs are illegal drugs.

And yet the UKDA still fails to act with regards the statistically questionable amount of asthmatic professional sportsmen who use prescription medication that, to a non-asthmatic, is proven to be performance-enhancing.

With regards the remit of the UKDA, legality of substances should be of no concern, only the potential to enhance-performance. Cocaine has questionable benefits to a professional sportsman and cannabis, well its called 'dope' for a reason.

[abi]

Apr 21, 2013 20:31:26 GMT @james1977 said:

Apr 21, 2013 18:20:26 GMT abi said:

He tested positive for two substances that happen to be illegal - cannabis and cocaine.

Much as I will defend him as a player, illegal drugs are illegal drugs.

And yet the UKDA still fails to act with regards the statistically questionable amount of asthmatic professional sportsmen who use prescription medication that, to a non-asthmatic, is proven to be performance-enhancing.

With regards the remit of the UKDA, legality of substances should be of no concern, only the potential to enhance-performance. Cocaine has questionable benefits to a professional sportsman and cannabis, well its called 'dope' for a reason.

...and both substances are illegal for a reason, both on the street and in sports.

[james1977]

Apr 22, 2013 20:32:31 GMT abi said:

Apr 21, 2013 20:31:26 GMT @james1977 said:

And yet the UKDA still fails to act with regards the statistically questionable amount of asthmatic professional sportsmen who use prescription medication that, to a non-asthmatic, is proven to be performance-enhancing.

With regards the remit of the UKDA, legality of substances should be of no concern, only the potential to enhance-performance. Cocaine has questionable benefits to a professional sportsman and cannabis, well its called 'dope' for a reason.

...and both substances are illegal for a reason, both on the street and in sports.

They are banned because they are illegal, not because of any potential to enhance sporting performance. UKDA should concern itself with dealing with performance-enhancing substances and ensuring fairness in competition, leaving matters relating to illegality to other bodies.

Of course its a damn sight easier to hound sports persons who have smoked a bit of weed than tackle the very real issue of rampant medical fraud in relation to falsely diagnosing individuals, so that they can have an exemption to use nice, legal performance enhancers.

[sambo79]

Apr 21, 2013 1:57:00 GMT Dan said:

If they banned everyone found snorting...

I wish they would. It's illegal and should not be tolerated in any part of society. It's like saying, 'well, it's only drink driving...'

[Yotes]

Apr 21, 2013 20:31:26 GMT @james1977 said:

With regards the remit of the UKDA, legality of substances should be of no concern, only the potential to enhance-performance

UKAD don't come up with the list, they're enforcing the WADA list, cocaine and cannabis both being on the in-competition banned list.

So I guess Domish could've got lit up in the summer and not worried about it, but too stupid to limit himself to that, so got what he deserved.

[james1977]

Apr 23, 2013 8:23:19 GMT sambo79 said:

Apr 21, 2013 1:57:00 GMT Dan said:

If they banned everyone found snorting...

I wish they would. It's illegal and should not be tolerated in any part of society. It's like saying, 'well, it's only drink driving...'

Is it primarily the illegal status that concerns you? If they were legalised would you no longer be concerned and tolerate it?

[The Flying Shirt]

Apr 23, 2013 10:06:18 GMT @james1977 said:

Apr 23, 2013 8:23:19 GMT sambo79 said:

I wish they would. It's illegal and should not be tolerated in any part of society. It's like saying, 'well, it's only drink driving...'

Is it primarily the illegal status that concerns you? If they were legalised would you no longer be concerned and tolerate it?

Thankfully that's never going to happen.

[james1977]

Apr 23, 2013 10:16:57 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

Apr 23, 2013 10:06:18 GMT @james1977 said:

Is it primarily the illegal status that concerns you? If they were legalised would you no longer be concerned and tolerate it?

Thankfully that's never going to happen.

Indeed, it is very unlikely they will ever be legalised, but is it the illegality of the substances that folk have most issue with or the effect they can have?

[trippingjimi]

Can't stand these druggies in our sport. Ban them for life i say!

Oh! There's mid-day, time for my first glass of vino.

[Doughnut]

James (+ anyone else who's interested),

Cannabis is a sedative (a relaxant). Sedatives can be used in sports to enhance performance as they help settle nerves or discomfort.

Cocaine is a stimulant. Stimulants can be used in sports to enhance performance as they stimulate the body and mind to perform optimally by enhancing focus, energy, and aggression.

The above is from a short Wikipedia article on performance enhancing drugs (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance-enhancing_drugs). If that's not enough then there is plenty more info out there on this.

Now it's quite plausible that Domish wasn't using either drug in order to increase his performance but merely for recreational purposes. That doesn't matter.

What does matter is that using them is against the rules and the rules are important, just ask Walter here:

[pantherdman]

Young lads, away from home, with large incomes and lots of time on there hands seek solice in drugs shocker.

im a bit shocked that there is no league policy or even club policies and support for players facing tempation as there is in other sports. tbf we dont have a rule book.

Not sure how Domish gets a 2 year ban, yet others get weeks??? maybe he admitted it instead of concocting an elaborate story.
Fair play to him for being honest.

So he's banned from playing? can he coach?

[Yotes]

He's 33.

www.iihf.com/iihf-home/sport/iihf-rule-book.html
www.eliteleague.co.uk/eihl-rules--s12541

[james1977]

Apr 23, 2013 12:26:27 GMT Doughnut said:

James (+ anyone else who's interested),

Cannabis is a sedative (a relaxant). Sedatives can be used in sports to enhance performance as they help settle nerves or discomfort.

Don't cherry pick the 'good' bits and leave out the bad,

Studies have demonstrated that the use of cannabinoids can reduce anxiety, but it does not have ergogenic potential in sports activities. An increase in heart rate and blood pressure, decline of cardiac output and reduced psychomotor activity are some of the pharmacological effects of THC that will determine a decrease in athletic performance.

From this academic paper (other sources are available).

Apr 23, 2013 12:26:27 GMT Doughnut said:

Cocaine is a stimulant. Stimulants can be used in sports to enhance performance as they stimulate the body and mind to perform optimally by enhancing focus, energy, and aggression.

I'm afraid to say that the American College of Sports Medicine, "...the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world" (Wikipedia, 2013) disagrees with you.

Non-Wikipedia source

Quote from said source,

Most observers report athletic deterioration with the use of cocaine; there is no evidence of its being a performance enhancer. Sometimes behavioral changes are observed with athletes, who may show up for practice too early or too late, miss practice altogether, or have altercations with their teammates. Feelings of grandiosity may distort the athlete’s perception of actual performance. At normal room temperature, cocaine reduces the body’s core temperature. At higher ambient temperatures, especially during exercise, cocaine causes a rise in body temperature, so the athlete exercising in the heat may be susceptible to hyperthermia. This may be related to cocaine-induced changes in the body’s thermoregulatory set point and to a decrease in heat loss secondary to peripheral vasoconstriction.

I've underlined those last two words as, just from the purely bio-mechanical perspective relating to a sport such as ice hockey, peripheral vasoconstriction is, for want of a better word, bad.

So yes, cocaine using sportsmen may feel that they are better but bio-mechanically they are not.

There is also plenty of evidence that supports this position available out there.

Apr 23, 2013 12:26:27 GMT Doughnut said:

What does matter is that using them is against the rules and the rules are important.

Indeed rules are important and if they are against the rules then thats that....well not quite. WADA and UKDA are supposedly organisations who make decisions based on science rather than "won't somebody think of the children" scaremongering. Much of the evidence I've seen seems to suggest cocaine and cannabis actually have a negative effect on overall sports performance and, if this is the case, should they be banned by organisations whose remit is to prevent athletes using illicit substances to gain an unfair advantage?

If WADA and UKDA though, even in light of scientific evidence that points to neither being particularly useful as a performance-enhancing drug, want to ban them because of something else (such as because sports persons are supposedly held up as 'role models') then they should be honest about that. But then surely matters of individuals being 'bad role models' or bringing the game into disrepute should be under the remit of sport governing bodies, not organisations set-up to stop performance-enhancing drug use?

[The Flying Shirt]

Apr 23, 2013 10:44:45 GMT @james1977 said:

Apr 23, 2013 10:16:57 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

Thankfully that's never going to happen.

Indeed, it is very unlikely they will ever be legalised, but is it the illegality of the substances that folk have most issue with or the effect they can have?

The fact that it isn't legal, the fact that he let his own paying supporters down and the fact that he was so stupid.

[Yotes]

Apr 23, 2013 13:33:20 GMT @james1977 said:

If WADA and UKDA though, even in light of scientific evidence that points to neither being particularly useful as a performance-enhancing drug, want to ban them because of something else (such as because sports persons are supposedly held up as 'role models') then they should be honest about that.

They're both on the in-competition list, so outside of the season (in hockey terms) they wouldn't care. If they were making a moral judgement you'd think they'd put them on the "at all times" list.

[james1977]

Apr 23, 2013 13:47:15 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

The fact that it isn't legal, the fact that he let his own paying supporters down and the fact that he was so stupid.

So you're saying that if it were legal (like that far more damaging and well-abused drug alcohol) he wouldn't have let anybody down?

Well actually he would, because even though alcohol is nice and legal and can be quaffed in large amounts quite happily in the presence of puck bunnies and other hangers on a-like post-game the effect it has on the body is as damaging and occasionally more so than the illegal drugs that are apparently the biggest issue. Therefore, potentially, an ice hockey player could be compromising his performance every week through high alcohol consumption, or to put it another way he may "let down his own paying supporters" surreptitiously.

BTW, just laying my cards down before any accusations start flying, I'm not pro-widespread drug legalisation, I'm for legislation based on science, not angst.

[The Flying Shirt]

Apr 23, 2013 13:59:37 GMT @james1977 said:

Apr 23, 2013 13:47:15 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

The fact that it isn't legal, the fact that he let his own paying supporters down and the fact that he was so stupid.

So you're saying that if it were legal (like that far more damaging and well-abused drug alcohol) he wouldn't have let anybody down?

Well actually he would, because even though alcohol is nice and legal and can be quaffed in large amounts quite happily in the presence of puck bunnies and other hangers on a-like post-game the effect it has on the body is as damaging and occasionally more so than the illegal drugs that are apparently the biggest issue. Therefore, potentially, an ice hockey player could be compromising his performance every week through high alcohol consumption, or to put it another way he may "let down his own paying supporters" surreptitiously.

BTW, just laying my cards down before any accusations start flying, I'm not pro-widespread drug legalisation, I'm for legislation based on science, not angst.

A drunk is a drunk and a pot head is a pot head but that's by the by. If he was willing to do something as stupid as to smoke dope during the season as a so-called professional sportsman then that's just stupid pure and simple.

[Shaggy]

Well, players get slagged off by fans for going out for bevvies during the regular season, so if it's OK to criticise them for legal drugs it should surely be at least as OK to do so for illegal drugs.