The 2022 Hobey-Baker Trophy winner, goaltender Dryden McKay, has been suspended for six months from all international competition.
On Monday, the 24-year-old indicated that he accepted the sanction imposed by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a violation of its anti-doping rules. McKay was one of the US national team’s auxiliaries at the Beijing Games and tested positive for ostarine on January 23. It is a drug that aims to increase muscle mass and bone density in the elderly or patients who suffer from muscle wasting.
The masked man could have been suspended for four years, but he proved that this positive result came from a contaminated supplement.
McKay said he sent all of his supplements to an independent lab after learning he had failed a doping test. The banned substance was found in a bottle of vitamin D3, which he took for its antiviral benefits.
“I accept the risk of taking the uncertified supplement,” the Guardian said. It’s something I can’t hide. At the same time, I am not a cheater. I am not someone who tries to gain an advantage. I was trying to take care of my body, avoid COVID-19 and stay healthy so I could play the rest of the season. There was no bad intention.”
McKay won the Hobey-Baker after excelling in front of the University of Minnesota Gophers. In 43 games, he posted a 38-5-0 record, a .931 save percentage and a 1.31 goals-against average.
Never drafted into the National League, the Illinois native can get along with any team on the Bettman circuit. He also intends to make the leap to the professionals in 2022-2023.