Aaron Ekblad Releases a Statement After Being Suspended 20 Games by the NHL
Photo credit: Florida Hockey Now
The NHL shockingly suspended Aaron Ekblad for a major violation on Monday, and now the Florida Panthers veteran has released a statement about the situation.
On Monday, the NHL made the shock announcement that Aaron Ekblad, veteran blue liner of the Florida Panthers was being given a 20-game suspension due to a violation of the NHLPA's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
While their press release came with very little detail, Ebklad has now released a statement through the NHLPA saying that while it came as a shock to him to fail the drug test, he owned up to the mistake.
As the NHL announced, I have been suspended for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel.
I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.
I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.
As a result, Ekblad will be suspended without pay for 20 games, meaning that he will forfeit $1.83 million of salary this season, and with the team 64 games into their season, he will miss at least a few Stanley Cup Playoff games.
This is no doubt a bad look for Ekblad and the NHL on the eve of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in the coming days and weeks, we'll no doubt hear more details about the situation as well as hearing from the Panthers about how this will be handled once Ekblad returns, but for now, they'll be without a key piece of their blue line for the stretch run.
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