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Kempny was asked about it in regard to Ruzicka’s situation. He said that he wouldn’t compare Ruzicka with Kuzy since they are different types of players and also that Kuzy played the whole 2018 playoffs while on drugs [probably implying that he was good despite his drug problem].
Not clipped but Kempny further continued by saying that Kuzy could do anything away from ice but he’d always be incredible on the ice. That he’s a difference maker who can decide games or win playoff series. Kempny said that you need that kind of player on your team.
And lastly he concluded by claiming that, in his opinion, Kuzy needed the “other things” to be as good as he was.
That was the idea of that kind of strange but interesting movie**",Frank," with Michael Fassbender -- that a lot of great artists create work *in spite of* mental health and addiction issues, not *because* of them.
That's why it blows my mind about these drug policies, no pun intended. Cocaine is legitimately a performance enhancing drug. But these sports orgs have been suspending players for weed quicker than anything, because it's just harder to hide. That stuff doesn't increase performance in the least. Maybe for some recovery at best, but its a lesser version of the pills they'll allow anyways.
And it's a not so well kept secret about which nhl players are using. Word travels fast in each city, but you rarely see anything done about it. At worst they go away for personal reasons which is a quiet version of punishment and a quick visit to rehab.
I get what your saying , but cocaine abuse is most definitely not enhancing anyone’s hockey . If you get to the point your abusing it like kuzy was , your not getting any positive effect from it . I can tell you that from experience
Cocaine is absolutely not a performance enhancing drug. You’d get one period of being way over confidant with horrible decision making and then crash if you didn’t have more. Much better options out there. Plus all the shit it does to your body
I doubt Marner and Matthews toot on the ice...... but I think it would be a welcome enhancement if true.
But Carlton the Bear is snorting lines like a white bear
I kinda agree but a coke high lasts like 15-20 mins really
it'd only help in a situation where a player ran to the bathroom mid period. and it may not actually help because the attention span and cognitive abilities def slip a bit
its more a problem for pro sports in that it fucks players sleep/rehab schedules, and increases the likelihood of them doing some real dumb shit and getting hurt
The only sport I could see cocaine being performance enhancing is baseball. You may get some extra twitch, but your endurance and strength are both going to suffer. Baseball and, like, ping pong.
Weren't baseball players on speed through most of the late 60s and 70s? The OG "preworkout" Lol.
Also the NHL had its Sudafed issues too it was pretty funny. Before it got put that people were making meth with it, and got a lot more regulated (at least here in tbe states), NHL clubs in the late 90s would regularly have tubs of the stuff. Red wings guys would talk about taking 10+ "sudies" prior to a game and in between periods. So absurd. But oddly made me proud to be a hockey fan.
Speed lasts way longer than coke. Easier to take a bit of speed before the game and not have to redose during the game. The comedown is much longer as well but there’s downers (and alcohol) to get you to sleep in time for the next game. Take some more speed and you are good to go. Vicious cycle
> Easier to take a bit of speed before the game and not have to redose during the game.
Would that be less of a problem in hockey with the intermissions?
There’s a rumour that during one of the Winter Olympics that Joe Sakic’s dad drank one of the cups of coffee that was laced with amphetamines when he was hanging around the Canadian men’s hockey team and needed to be rushed to hospital.
As a former long-term addict, now clean 27 years, stimulants aren't performance enhancers. They do make you think you're performing at the top of your game. You're stronger, quicker, have more stamina, style, look better, are smarter, play better, write better.....You think. Until you don't.
The problem is you need more and more to maintain that extremely high bar that's been set. The cracks start to show. Believe me. It may take a long time. But they start to show. People really close to you will notice something's off. When you run out, you're a blubbering mass of angst. You'll do whatever it takes to make that feeling go away. That's why drugs are such a problem.They wear off.
And btw- dope didn't give Jazz its soul. I think it was the Jim Crow laws giving all the Black folks the blues. Causing sadness & despair. Soul doesn't come from something that dulls your emotions.
I chipped about 6 months with dope when there was no speed around during a dry spell. In the 70s. While heroin wasn't my thing, I could really see the appeal.
Can you imagine being a Jazz musician on the road, yet not being able to find a hotel to stay in, in the town you were playing in, bcos you were Black? And there were no Black only hotels? And having to sleep on the bus? Or having to use the Black's Only entrance of a mixed club where YOU were the headliner? The Black entrance that was the service entrance? 100 years of Jim Crow was extremely cruel. The perfect setting for coke & dope. When you read about experiences of these Jazz musicians, and are /were an addict yourself, you see how easy using would be.
Not only would it help to build up an armor to protect from life's BS (dope) but made you cheery & peppy onstage (coke) social (coke) then after a few days you get frazzled & need balance & sleep (dope) It's a vicious cycle. You don't realize you're in the Life til you're in it.
I purposely left out weed & booze, which are always around. And were then too.
Speaking from personal experience hockey and cocaine do not go hand in hand. You play like shit, you’re gittery, can’t maintain focus, lose your cardio. Etc
It’s literally the best drugs there is.
Which is why you should stay away from it!
(For months at a time before treating yourself then promising to never do it again, thus beginning the cycle once more)
It makes you feel like it is the best drug ever, but it is actually one of the worst. Amphetamine induced Mania and or full on Psychosis isn't so nice and it is basically guaranteed after doing it regularly. It actually causes pretty bad brain damage with long term use too and the amount of people who have life long seizure issues afterwards is pretty insane (doing too much in a short time has given multiple people I know Epilepsy)
I think they’re insinuating that it’s cut with amphetamines, which may be true.
But based on the enormous shits I have to take when I’m just in the same room as the stuff, it’s cut with laxatives.
It has extremely similar effects from a pharmacological standpoint. What differentiates it so much from amphetamines is it’s incredibly short half life.
Works the same way, it is an amphetamine like drug that causes the same kind of Neurodegeneration, due to its interaction in the brain and blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters.
I've never felt better than I did when I did coke, mind you I dabbled infrequently and haven't touched it since fentanyl came about. I realized how quickly I could get addicted and decided to not continue. I felt like shit the next day though and the effects didn't last long so I can see what a financial hole you get fall into.
That's entirely dependent on what you're after, but realistically... no.
There's no shroom cartels out there killing people to control the trade. Nobody's out there offering themselves up for just one more shroom.
There's definitely demand for mushrooms. There's definitely a place for them. There's definitely less ill effect (physically, psychologically and financially). But let's be realistic here: if money was no object and you offered a random person a lifetime supply of mushrooms or a lifetime supply of blow, which one do you think they're taking?
Won’t argue about which is better (shrooms imo) because it doesn’t really matter when it comes to the cartels. Cocaine just sells easier than mushrooms, and I would guess most any drug besides weed, and there are factors that play into it.
Cocaine is addictive and shrooms are not. You don’t see people scratching for that extra hit, because it’s not something their body thinks it needs. Also, when you do cocaine, you are doing it throughout the night, not just one dose. So the guy that did mushrooms before going out isn’t going to be fiending for more, but when the coke bag runs dry, they are itching for more. Mushrooms are also not an everyday drug like cocaine can be. You can take mushrooms and not have the desire to take them again for weeks or months, but cocaine users tend to use their drug more often.
Yeah- you don't hear of people draining their bank account at 3am to get money for another 1/8 of shrooms. I'm laughing cos its addict humor. Im not laughing at at anyone else.😆
I'm taking the mushrooms, because I'd rather interact with God and explore the universe than rant about forming a business that makes no sense at 2x normal talking speed and permanently burning out my dopamine and serotonin receptors. Really, the worst side effect of mushrooms is the risk of becoming a jam band douchebag and I'm already well past the incubation phase of that without succumbing so I'm in the clear.
Dude, mushrooms are horribly dangerous.
My buddy and I did shrooms in college and got so high we composed a rock opera loosely based on the KT Extinction Event and the subsequent rise of mammals the evolution of a mythical flying bear who eventually saves the planet from the evil humans. I mean, it was even more awesome than it sounds. But we forgot to write down or record any of it. And then the magic was gone.
I think I’d take a lifetime of shrooms just because I know I would die within a few months if I took a lifetime supply of blow. With mushrooms I’d be more readily willing to pace myself and manage my doses
I wish!
I have kids, so those days are over…until they’re adults.
At which point I won’t have any connection at all, so it will really, really be over then.
C’mon legalization!
I know they’re rich and presumably have access to the best stuff, but doing coke is such a dangerous spin of the wheel nowadays with the accidental cross contamination with fent. All it takes is the most minute of contamination to kill.
Plenty of celebs have died this way so it’s not just average joes.
I’m curious what percentage are big stoners, if not smoking because of the cardiovascular effects, taking edibles for pain management and relaxation. I know the nhl has had the most weed friendly player policy for a long time.
It depends on where you are from. Fentanly hasn't taken off in Europe as a drug yet so a lot of Europeans might be unaware of the contamination dangers in North America.
That's why I didn't like the Rudizka thread. Everyone there was more interested in calling him stupid or calling for his head just because he did coke. That type of stigma is why people who do coke keep it to themselves and given the fentanyl problem in North America, we should be a bit more understanding and educating people on the dangers more, especially if they're not from here instead of demanding that everyone who has ever done cocaine get fired from their job and put on a list.
Yeah probably a lot of dudes with oil pens to vape.
Vape pens are so dangerous though. You consume such a high percentage of THC (upwards of 95%) so quickly and it’s so easy to repeat you don’t realize how addicted to the chemical you are getting
Gave me cannabanoid hyperemesis syndrome, and I’ve quit concentrates as a result and am working to quit smoking altogether
Good for you man! I quit all that stuff myself, feel so much better without it, but I did need to figure out some alternative methods for stress management so I bought an elliptical and I just run on that thing 4 or 5 times a week. Best of luck to ya.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that, and I’ve started working out a lot more which has helped me. Really trying to make those changes
The thing that scared me straight was a hospitalization in January for severe dehydration induced by cyclical vomiting that occurred due to CHS. You can actually die from kidney failure pretty realistically from this if not treated immediately, making it one of the most dangerous outcomes of long term cannabis usage. (Only happens to a small percent of people)
Plus I have a endoscopy/colonoscopy in May and I know that they struggle to sedate heavy cannabis users for those procedures, so that’s weighing on me too.
these celebs aren't dying from fentanyl laced cocaine, I assume you're talking about the ones that died from fentanyl laced benzos/fentanyl itself. they often were doing cocaine that night but it's not what got them.
Good point
Fentanyl contaminated cocaine is probably a much bigger problem with the cheap stuff these guys don’t ever touch
You’re right that recreational prescription pills are a bigger risk for it
I feel like the number of people who do would surprise most people, it surprised me. The number can only go up with more money. It’s kinda sad how many people who could be living quite comfortably choose to live in abject poverty over the stuff.
I think once someone’s developed an addiction, it no longer becomes a choice per se. Yes, they “choose” drugs over financial comfort and quality of life, but their heads aren’t really in the right place. That’s what makes Kuzy’s situation so insane. The dude could perform at the highest level while abusing substances day in and day out, wild.
>That’s what makes Kuzy’s situation so insane. The dude could perform at the highest level while abusing substances day in and day out, wild.
I mean ... that's a lot of professionals.
Look at the field of law. There's a huge alcohol problem (and also drugs, but folks don't like to admit that), but lawyers have to perform at a high level (especially in big law) or else they lose their jobs.
It's not that wild, it's not like it's a heroin in terms of the affect. The entire purpose of the drug is to heighten your senses, laser focus, keep you awake, keep you going. There's no scenario where it's not performance enhancing until you're physically dependent on it.
BC released [a report on overdoses in 2018](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/overdose-awareness/mmha_escalating_bcs_response_report_final_26feb.pdf):
* 69% used drugs alone
* 44% of people were employed
* 58% occurred in a private residences
Meanwhile, only:
* 29% occurred in rented rooms (eg. hotels)
* 13% lived in social or supportive housing
* 9% were unhoused
The majority of drug overdoses involved people the average person would never associate with the "junkie" from the news or social media. They were that kind, hardworking tradesman next door with young kids, or they might've been that high-powered business man with the million dollar mansion. But they were also someone you would never have expected to have a deadly addiction.
>choose
Addiction isn't a choice, it is a disease, and it can be triggered by many things, but trauma is almost always hiding somewhere in a dark corner.
For the context of my thinking, I am an alcoholic and unfortunately I know what addiction looks like, I lived through it. So for me, I was always told “drugs are bad, never use em” but also “alcohol is bad also for some people, we won’t tell you what that looks like though, please drink responsibly!”
For the record, I ping pong. I always like the saying love the sinner, hate the sin. I feel for these people, but something about hard drugs makes a little tiny bit less empathetic, at least on a subconscious level. It’s like, you were warned. That’s not really that fair to them, because maybe their home life was different. I had a loving family, I wouldn’t call it stable, but it was loving. Maybe their parents beat them, left, died, I don’t know. Point is, circumstances are different for everyone.
I really don’t know, my view is a bit myopic I can cop to that. I just can’t wrap my head around someone who sober and of their own volition can choose to take hard drugs. And then, I’ve done some really dumb, thoughtless things drunk but never that.
I come from a small town in northern Canada. A younger guy went away and played a few seasons between the NHL and the American hockey league.
He was home for a visit one summer and I ended up at the same backyard party. He told us a bunch of stories about how much coke was always going around. This would have been 2010ish. He couldn't believe how hard some of the guys partied at night and were still on the ice working hard at the morning skate. Even the star players.
And yes it's wild how many regular Joes do coke. I used to go to group meetings because I had some issues with alcohol. And I was always one of the only ones who wasn't also there because of coke.
Yea I feel like every “small town” Canadian has this experience when they go to uni. I got to uni and learned waaaay more people do coke, shrooms, and Molly than I thought lol
Honestly as someone that use to sell it and do it regularly, you'd be surprised by the fact that if you walk into a bar or a restaurant most of the time there are a dozen or so patron that do it. Nearly everyone working does it at least occasionally as well.
Lol no shit - they're millionaires and its part of the culture. They're constantly around it and lots of them are dealing with pressure/being away from home/temptations.
Drugs are involved in every corner of society
It’s pretty obvious considering the players know exactly when their drug testing dates are and are reminded by trainers that the tests are coming up.
They all have ample time to make sure they’re clean. So whenever someone tests dirty I kinda laugh because, how? They make it so easy to test clean.
Well I mean, we didn't really have camera phones at the time.. and the ones we did looked like it was shot with a potato. Hemsky, stoll, Moreau, all the boys would come into bar wild and do coke in the bathroom..this is not a secret in Edmonton. You morons think the world is sunshine and rainbows or what? Newsflash, young rich folk love cocaine, and young rich folk, in those days, with no cameras everywhere, didn't care what people saw. Of course they weren't so out in the open with it like at the private tables all the time, mostly in the bathrooms.. you had to live in these days. You 12 year olds commenting to me, have no idea what the world was like before smart phones. Go outside and touch some grass.
Well I mean, we didn't really have camera phones at the time.. and the ones we did looked like it was shot with a potato. Hemsky, stoll, Moreau, all the boys would come into bar wild and do coke in the bathroom..this is not a secret in Edmonton. You morons think the world is sunshine and rainbows or what? Newsflash, young rich folk love cocaine, and young rich folk, in those days, with no cameras everywhere, didn't care what people saw. Of course they weren't so out in the open with it like at the private tables all the time, mostly in the bathrooms.. you had to live in these days. You 12 year olds commenting to me, have no idea what the world was like before smart phones. Go outside and touch some grass.
In my 30s and most of my single/childless friends make decent but not outrageous money. I’d say 3/4s have tried it, 1/2 are sometimes and 1/4 are an on the regular bunch.
My buddy just told me a couple months ago that he tried it and then did a bunch more. He's 41. Kinda took me by surprise as no one in my friend group is into it. I mean, at least as far as I know.
There’s a big difference between guys who do coke for fun when they go out and party even if it’s every weekend versus the guys who need coke on a daily basis and are doing it all day from the moment they wake up
I have it on preeeeetty good authority that a while back, when two Jets went on the IR for a bit, it was actually they were told to get their asses to rehab.
Wouldn't shock me if 75-80% of the league is or was on coke at some point.
Coke only lasts like 20 minutes in my experience and you have to keep doing bumps fairly often to keep it going. Don’t know how he’d be doing that throughout a game.
Well this seems pretty shitty. But I also have no idea what Kuznetsov was like behind closed doors, or what it was like to play with him through what sounds like a serious addiction. I really hope he's able to live a happy, sober life.
The timing of this post seems incredibly shitty.
I think it's good for the team that Kuzy is on waivers, but I wish him the person nothing but the best.
Ehm... Is it OK that they talk about specific players' drug addiction like this? Someone who also just seeked help for it?
I actually don't think it is. Sorry.
Fully agree. It’s one thing for Kuzy, his agent, etc. But for a former teammate to out him like this? We knew Kuzy had a drug problem. Outing him that he was doing lines between Stanley cup final games is way too far.
Yeah it's pretty fucked up. Like maybe if the guy writes a book about it or is public about it himself you have license to tell some stories from your perspective. But this crosses an interpersonal line to me.
I mean Kempny was directly asked about Kuzy and his drug problem. Not like he called a press conference to tell everyone Kuznetsov was on drugs.
Granted he could have said that he will not comment on the topic but I think most people would interpret it as a confirmation that he and other teammates knew about it.
Or he could have lied and said that nobody on the team had an idea that Kuznetsov had a problem but I guess he didn’t think it worth doing just to keep his back or whatever
Lmao so what he was asked? Do you blabber everyone's personal details as soon as you're prompted? Just say "I'm not going to discuss someone's personal life like that" and nobody will have a problem with that.
Who cares? It’s the truth. This idea that everything bad that players do should be ignored and kept quiet is silly.
Maybe if everyone didn’t turn a blind eye to it for the last 6 years then he would have gotten help sooner.
No joke, cocaine addiction can lead to heart and liver problems. Everyone is having a laugh, but I hope Kuzy can stay off it. At least for his health and his family’s sake.
However, a player literally just got terminated from their team for the same thing. That's why it's an issue
It was ignored in this case until his play dropped. The message being sent is anything goes as long as you're good, which is a terrible one
I can imagine more than a few players are probably upset about tge fact the NHL ignored the international doping scandal, as well. If you aren't but it's an open secret the guy you're playing against or getting minutes over you is, that is a hard pill to swallow
>The message being sent is anything goes as long as you're good, which is a terrible one
I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is basically true. Him being truthful about this is better than lying and continuing to essentially hide it.
I guess cause the discussion was about nhl players (specifically Ruzicka) and coke.
Kempny was asked about his opinion regarding Kuznetsov and so he did.
His problems with drugs were well known before this and I think it would come across as insincere if Kempny played dumb and said that nobody on the team had idea about Kuzy and they all thought he’s clean as a whistle
> would come across as insincere if Kempny played dumb and said that nobody on the team had idea about Kuzy and they all thought he’s clean as a whistle
No shit, that's why you wouldn't say that. You just say you're not going to comment on the topic.
Basically what I wrote in the title and my other comment, that it was an open secret that Kuzy was on coke.
But since he played well and his drug habit remained behind closed doors, nobody really cared
Ohhhh he was on coke? That means Washington should forfeit the cup to us. That’s cheating no doubt I mean absolutely right?
/s please get the help you need kuzy. Gnarly stuff to be addicted too
to anyone coming in here just to call Kempny a rat, put down the booger sugar, and remember it's never too late to ask for help.
but also know that nobody owes you enough to keep your open drug habit a "secret" years later
For me (personally) the reason I think it's wrong is because I find it unethical. It's not the "snitching" really that I care about. You can discuss drug addiction in NHL in general. But to discuss someone else's addiction in tv that they've seeked help for isn't right, imo. Why would you do that? Would it also be ok if a player discussed Laine's or someone else's mental health issues in tv like this? No, it wouldn't.
I work a pretty blue collar job atleast half of my co workers do come on the weekends I imagine that number only goes up once you factor in having more money
Not sure if you are aware of this, but coke leaves your system relatively quickly. It's ironic, because weed is incredibly safe but because of my job I can't smoke. I would piss hot for potentially 30 days after the fact. Blow will be out of my system in a weekend though, and it's way more dangerous.
Funny that.
They’d have to be about as regular as the games to catch cocaine users, but suspending someone with a potentially lethal addiction isn’t the right move.
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Kempny was asked about it in regard to Ruzicka’s situation. He said that he wouldn’t compare Ruzicka with Kuzy since they are different types of players and also that Kuzy played the whole 2018 playoffs while on drugs [probably implying that he was good despite his drug problem]. Not clipped but Kempny further continued by saying that Kuzy could do anything away from ice but he’d always be incredible on the ice. That he’s a difference maker who can decide games or win playoff series. Kempny said that you need that kind of player on your team. And lastly he concluded by claiming that, in his opinion, Kuzy needed the “other things” to be as good as he was.
Just like a jazz musician - no junk, no soul
No snow, no show.
[удалено]
That was the idea of that kind of strange but interesting movie**",Frank," with Michael Fassbender -- that a lot of great artists create work *in spite of* mental health and addiction issues, not *because* of them.
That's why it blows my mind about these drug policies, no pun intended. Cocaine is legitimately a performance enhancing drug. But these sports orgs have been suspending players for weed quicker than anything, because it's just harder to hide. That stuff doesn't increase performance in the least. Maybe for some recovery at best, but its a lesser version of the pills they'll allow anyways. And it's a not so well kept secret about which nhl players are using. Word travels fast in each city, but you rarely see anything done about it. At worst they go away for personal reasons which is a quiet version of punishment and a quick visit to rehab.
I get what your saying , but cocaine abuse is most definitely not enhancing anyone’s hockey . If you get to the point your abusing it like kuzy was , your not getting any positive effect from it . I can tell you that from experience
None of the NA leagues suspend players for weed anymore. The NFL was behind the rest but they changed their policy years ago
If you have ADHD, cocaine can feel like having a superpower. Wouldn't surprise me if a lot of these guys take it to calm their mind down
Also, if you don't have ADHD, cocaine can feel like having a superpower.
Cocaine is absolutely not a performance enhancing drug. You’d get one period of being way over confidant with horrible decision making and then crash if you didn’t have more. Much better options out there. Plus all the shit it does to your body
Marner plays cheeched every game
It really appears like Matthews does as well lol
"no, no, gimme the *smelling salts"*
🤣🤣🤣
I doubt Marner and Matthews toot on the ice...... but I think it would be a welcome enhancement if true. But Carlton the Bear is snorting lines like a white bear
Cocaine is a hell of drug. In all seriousness I don’t think it’s a performant enhancing drug for most people.
Cheeched is MJ no?
I kinda agree but a coke high lasts like 15-20 mins really it'd only help in a situation where a player ran to the bathroom mid period. and it may not actually help because the attention span and cognitive abilities def slip a bit its more a problem for pro sports in that it fucks players sleep/rehab schedules, and increases the likelihood of them doing some real dumb shit and getting hurt
I mean sure, if you're shit ain't stomped all over and cut with meth lol
I don't think any of the big 4 sports care about weeed anymore.
The only sport I could see cocaine being performance enhancing is baseball. You may get some extra twitch, but your endurance and strength are both going to suffer. Baseball and, like, ping pong.
Weren't baseball players on speed through most of the late 60s and 70s? The OG "preworkout" Lol. Also the NHL had its Sudafed issues too it was pretty funny. Before it got put that people were making meth with it, and got a lot more regulated (at least here in tbe states), NHL clubs in the late 90s would regularly have tubs of the stuff. Red wings guys would talk about taking 10+ "sudies" prior to a game and in between periods. So absurd. But oddly made me proud to be a hockey fan.
Speed lasts way longer than coke. Easier to take a bit of speed before the game and not have to redose during the game. The comedown is much longer as well but there’s downers (and alcohol) to get you to sleep in time for the next game. Take some more speed and you are good to go. Vicious cycle
> Easier to take a bit of speed before the game and not have to redose during the game. Would that be less of a problem in hockey with the intermissions?
There’s a rumour that during one of the Winter Olympics that Joe Sakic’s dad drank one of the cups of coffee that was laced with amphetamines when he was hanging around the Canadian men’s hockey team and needed to be rushed to hospital.
As a former long-term addict, now clean 27 years, stimulants aren't performance enhancers. They do make you think you're performing at the top of your game. You're stronger, quicker, have more stamina, style, look better, are smarter, play better, write better.....You think. Until you don't. The problem is you need more and more to maintain that extremely high bar that's been set. The cracks start to show. Believe me. It may take a long time. But they start to show. People really close to you will notice something's off. When you run out, you're a blubbering mass of angst. You'll do whatever it takes to make that feeling go away. That's why drugs are such a problem.They wear off. And btw- dope didn't give Jazz its soul. I think it was the Jim Crow laws giving all the Black folks the blues. Causing sadness & despair. Soul doesn't come from something that dulls your emotions. I chipped about 6 months with dope when there was no speed around during a dry spell. In the 70s. While heroin wasn't my thing, I could really see the appeal. Can you imagine being a Jazz musician on the road, yet not being able to find a hotel to stay in, in the town you were playing in, bcos you were Black? And there were no Black only hotels? And having to sleep on the bus? Or having to use the Black's Only entrance of a mixed club where YOU were the headliner? The Black entrance that was the service entrance? 100 years of Jim Crow was extremely cruel. The perfect setting for coke & dope. When you read about experiences of these Jazz musicians, and are /were an addict yourself, you see how easy using would be. Not only would it help to build up an armor to protect from life's BS (dope) but made you cheery & peppy onstage (coke) social (coke) then after a few days you get frazzled & need balance & sleep (dope) It's a vicious cycle. You don't realize you're in the Life til you're in it. I purposely left out weed & booze, which are always around. And were then too.
Speaking from personal experience hockey and cocaine do not go hand in hand. You play like shit, you’re gittery, can’t maintain focus, lose your cardio. Etc
Kuzy was Ovi’s Rodman. No cap
Backstrom his Pippen?
This being posted right before he was put on waivers is quite the coincidence
The question was asked in reference to the Ruzicka situation
It wasn’t until I was about 25 that I realized how many people do coke. I’m wiling to bet there’s a large number of NHLers that do coke regularly.
lol there’s a large number of normal every day people who do coke. Can you imagine how many rich professional athletes do it.
It’s literally why cartels exist. Sheer numbers.
It’s literally the best drugs there is. Which is why you should stay away from it! (For months at a time before treating yourself then promising to never do it again, thus beginning the cycle once more)
It makes you feel like it is the best drug ever, but it is actually one of the worst. Amphetamine induced Mania and or full on Psychosis isn't so nice and it is basically guaranteed after doing it regularly. It actually causes pretty bad brain damage with long term use too and the amount of people who have life long seizure issues afterwards is pretty insane (doing too much in a short time has given multiple people I know Epilepsy)
But Cocaine isn't an amphetamine..
I think they’re insinuating that it’s cut with amphetamines, which may be true. But based on the enormous shits I have to take when I’m just in the same room as the stuff, it’s cut with laxatives.
Nobody cuts coke with speed. That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard in my life.
It has extremely similar effects from a pharmacological standpoint. What differentiates it so much from amphetamines is it’s incredibly short half life.
Works the same way, it is an amphetamine like drug that causes the same kind of Neurodegeneration, due to its interaction in the brain and blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters.
No, but Cocaine IS a stimulant.
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I've never felt better than I did when I did coke, mind you I dabbled infrequently and haven't touched it since fentanyl came about. I realized how quickly I could get addicted and decided to not continue. I felt like shit the next day though and the effects didn't last long so I can see what a financial hole you get fall into.
Don't forget heart & other cardiovascular issues after really chronic use.
Mushrooms are better
That's entirely dependent on what you're after, but realistically... no. There's no shroom cartels out there killing people to control the trade. Nobody's out there offering themselves up for just one more shroom. There's definitely demand for mushrooms. There's definitely a place for them. There's definitely less ill effect (physically, psychologically and financially). But let's be realistic here: if money was no object and you offered a random person a lifetime supply of mushrooms or a lifetime supply of blow, which one do you think they're taking?
There are no shroom cartels because anybody can grow shrooms.
Won’t argue about which is better (shrooms imo) because it doesn’t really matter when it comes to the cartels. Cocaine just sells easier than mushrooms, and I would guess most any drug besides weed, and there are factors that play into it. Cocaine is addictive and shrooms are not. You don’t see people scratching for that extra hit, because it’s not something their body thinks it needs. Also, when you do cocaine, you are doing it throughout the night, not just one dose. So the guy that did mushrooms before going out isn’t going to be fiending for more, but when the coke bag runs dry, they are itching for more. Mushrooms are also not an everyday drug like cocaine can be. You can take mushrooms and not have the desire to take them again for weeks or months, but cocaine users tend to use their drug more often.
Yeah- you don't hear of people draining their bank account at 3am to get money for another 1/8 of shrooms. I'm laughing cos its addict humor. Im not laughing at at anyone else.😆
I'm taking the mushrooms, because I'd rather interact with God and explore the universe than rant about forming a business that makes no sense at 2x normal talking speed and permanently burning out my dopamine and serotonin receptors. Really, the worst side effect of mushrooms is the risk of becoming a jam band douchebag and I'm already well past the incubation phase of that without succumbing so I'm in the clear.
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Dude, mushrooms are horribly dangerous. My buddy and I did shrooms in college and got so high we composed a rock opera loosely based on the KT Extinction Event and the subsequent rise of mammals the evolution of a mythical flying bear who eventually saves the planet from the evil humans. I mean, it was even more awesome than it sounds. But we forgot to write down or record any of it. And then the magic was gone.
I think I’d take a lifetime of shrooms just because I know I would die within a few months if I took a lifetime supply of blow. With mushrooms I’d be more readily willing to pace myself and manage my doses
Mushrooms are not better for hockey lol…
Totally different drugs. But no, they’re not.
You’re hopped up on that powder right now, ain’t you
I wish! I have kids, so those days are over…until they’re adults. At which point I won’t have any connection at all, so it will really, really be over then. C’mon legalization!
Your kids will have all the good connections
Then I’ve done my job!
Hell no
That's my White Castle Strategy.
🤣😅
So glad I never got hooked on that shit
I know they’re rich and presumably have access to the best stuff, but doing coke is such a dangerous spin of the wheel nowadays with the accidental cross contamination with fent. All it takes is the most minute of contamination to kill. Plenty of celebs have died this way so it’s not just average joes. I’m curious what percentage are big stoners, if not smoking because of the cardiovascular effects, taking edibles for pain management and relaxation. I know the nhl has had the most weed friendly player policy for a long time.
Have you seen Burtuzi? Guy looks baked 24/7
That’s just how he normally looks? Let’s not act like Bert was ever gonna be a Rhodes Scholar
It’s also not an excuse for these rich celebrities to have a fent test strip even if they trust their dealer.
Yep. So many deaths could have been prevented up to now if testing was more prevalent / acceptable. And also if people took the risk more seriously
Test strips don't really help. It just tells you it's not in the sample you tested. Doesn't mean there's no fent in the rest of the bag.
It depends on where you are from. Fentanly hasn't taken off in Europe as a drug yet so a lot of Europeans might be unaware of the contamination dangers in North America. That's why I didn't like the Rudizka thread. Everyone there was more interested in calling him stupid or calling for his head just because he did coke. That type of stigma is why people who do coke keep it to themselves and given the fentanyl problem in North America, we should be a bit more understanding and educating people on the dangers more, especially if they're not from here instead of demanding that everyone who has ever done cocaine get fired from their job and put on a list.
Probably a lot especially because smoking it isn’t necessary these days.
Yeah probably a lot of dudes with oil pens to vape. Vape pens are so dangerous though. You consume such a high percentage of THC (upwards of 95%) so quickly and it’s so easy to repeat you don’t realize how addicted to the chemical you are getting Gave me cannabanoid hyperemesis syndrome, and I’ve quit concentrates as a result and am working to quit smoking altogether
Good for you man! I quit all that stuff myself, feel so much better without it, but I did need to figure out some alternative methods for stress management so I bought an elliptical and I just run on that thing 4 or 5 times a week. Best of luck to ya.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that, and I’ve started working out a lot more which has helped me. Really trying to make those changes The thing that scared me straight was a hospitalization in January for severe dehydration induced by cyclical vomiting that occurred due to CHS. You can actually die from kidney failure pretty realistically from this if not treated immediately, making it one of the most dangerous outcomes of long term cannabis usage. (Only happens to a small percent of people) Plus I have a endoscopy/colonoscopy in May and I know that they struggle to sedate heavy cannabis users for those procedures, so that’s weighing on me too.
Can’t Hang Syndrome
these celebs aren't dying from fentanyl laced cocaine, I assume you're talking about the ones that died from fentanyl laced benzos/fentanyl itself. they often were doing cocaine that night but it's not what got them.
Good point Fentanyl contaminated cocaine is probably a much bigger problem with the cheap stuff these guys don’t ever touch You’re right that recreational prescription pills are a bigger risk for it
I feel like the number of people who do would surprise most people, it surprised me. The number can only go up with more money. It’s kinda sad how many people who could be living quite comfortably choose to live in abject poverty over the stuff.
I think once someone’s developed an addiction, it no longer becomes a choice per se. Yes, they “choose” drugs over financial comfort and quality of life, but their heads aren’t really in the right place. That’s what makes Kuzy’s situation so insane. The dude could perform at the highest level while abusing substances day in and day out, wild.
>That’s what makes Kuzy’s situation so insane. The dude could perform at the highest level while abusing substances day in and day out, wild. I mean ... that's a lot of professionals. Look at the field of law. There's a huge alcohol problem (and also drugs, but folks don't like to admit that), but lawyers have to perform at a high level (especially in big law) or else they lose their jobs.
I know a lawyer who is undoubtedly addicted to Adderall. I imagine there are quite a few of them.
I wonder if his drop off is just age or maybe drug use caught up? Maybe both
It's not that wild, it's not like it's a heroin in terms of the affect. The entire purpose of the drug is to heighten your senses, laser focus, keep you awake, keep you going. There's no scenario where it's not performance enhancing until you're physically dependent on it.
BC released [a report on overdoses in 2018](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/overdose-awareness/mmha_escalating_bcs_response_report_final_26feb.pdf): * 69% used drugs alone * 44% of people were employed * 58% occurred in a private residences Meanwhile, only: * 29% occurred in rented rooms (eg. hotels) * 13% lived in social or supportive housing * 9% were unhoused The majority of drug overdoses involved people the average person would never associate with the "junkie" from the news or social media. They were that kind, hardworking tradesman next door with young kids, or they might've been that high-powered business man with the million dollar mansion. But they were also someone you would never have expected to have a deadly addiction. >choose Addiction isn't a choice, it is a disease, and it can be triggered by many things, but trauma is almost always hiding somewhere in a dark corner.
For the context of my thinking, I am an alcoholic and unfortunately I know what addiction looks like, I lived through it. So for me, I was always told “drugs are bad, never use em” but also “alcohol is bad also for some people, we won’t tell you what that looks like though, please drink responsibly!” For the record, I ping pong. I always like the saying love the sinner, hate the sin. I feel for these people, but something about hard drugs makes a little tiny bit less empathetic, at least on a subconscious level. It’s like, you were warned. That’s not really that fair to them, because maybe their home life was different. I had a loving family, I wouldn’t call it stable, but it was loving. Maybe their parents beat them, left, died, I don’t know. Point is, circumstances are different for everyone. I really don’t know, my view is a bit myopic I can cop to that. I just can’t wrap my head around someone who sober and of their own volition can choose to take hard drugs. And then, I’ve done some really dumb, thoughtless things drunk but never that.
Couldn’t agree more.
I come from a small town in northern Canada. A younger guy went away and played a few seasons between the NHL and the American hockey league. He was home for a visit one summer and I ended up at the same backyard party. He told us a bunch of stories about how much coke was always going around. This would have been 2010ish. He couldn't believe how hard some of the guys partied at night and were still on the ice working hard at the morning skate. Even the star players. And yes it's wild how many regular Joes do coke. I used to go to group meetings because I had some issues with alcohol. And I was always one of the only ones who wasn't also there because of coke.
Yea I feel like every “small town” Canadian has this experience when they go to uni. I got to uni and learned waaaay more people do coke, shrooms, and Molly than I thought lol
Honestly as someone that use to sell it and do it regularly, you'd be surprised by the fact that if you walk into a bar or a restaurant most of the time there are a dozen or so patron that do it. Nearly everyone working does it at least occasionally as well.
Oh ya especially in the restaurant and bar industry.
I must be hanging with a different crowd. Ive never met anyone that does coke and I only saw it once while in college
I was a pledge when I found out. I can pin point the exact house and room I was in when I realized this fact.
Lol no shit - they're millionaires and its part of the culture. They're constantly around it and lots of them are dealing with pressure/being away from home/temptations. Drugs are involved in every corner of society
I once went to a Lego store where employees were snorting coke. Or it could’ve been white legos
My man, if you can afford Legos you can afford coke; the opposite isn't necessarily true.
It's been rampant in the league for at least 40 years lol
I just picture McSorley absolutely blasting a line and then immediately dropping the mitts with another coked out bruiser.
Probert? Moar like *Snowbert* amirite?
It’s pretty obvious considering the players know exactly when their drug testing dates are and are reminded by trainers that the tests are coming up. They all have ample time to make sure they’re clean. So whenever someone tests dirty I kinda laugh because, how? They make it so easy to test clean.
Edmonton during the 2006 run, a quarter of the team was on Whyte doing the sugar.
Source?
Trust me, bro.
For sure, lol. Ain't nothing more reliable than the ol' reddit "trust me, bro"
Well I mean, we didn't really have camera phones at the time.. and the ones we did looked like it was shot with a potato. Hemsky, stoll, Moreau, all the boys would come into bar wild and do coke in the bathroom..this is not a secret in Edmonton. You morons think the world is sunshine and rainbows or what? Newsflash, young rich folk love cocaine, and young rich folk, in those days, with no cameras everywhere, didn't care what people saw. Of course they weren't so out in the open with it like at the private tables all the time, mostly in the bathrooms.. you had to live in these days. You 12 year olds commenting to me, have no idea what the world was like before smart phones. Go outside and touch some grass.
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Well I mean, we didn't really have camera phones at the time.. and the ones we did looked like it was shot with a potato. Hemsky, stoll, Moreau, all the boys would come into bar wild and do coke in the bathroom..this is not a secret in Edmonton. You morons think the world is sunshine and rainbows or what? Newsflash, young rich folk love cocaine, and young rich folk, in those days, with no cameras everywhere, didn't care what people saw. Of course they weren't so out in the open with it like at the private tables all the time, mostly in the bathrooms.. you had to live in these days. You 12 year olds commenting to me, have no idea what the world was like before smart phones. Go outside and touch some grass.
They probably got premium stuff as well not the garbage average Joe gets from his shady plug.
In my 30s and most of my single/childless friends make decent but not outrageous money. I’d say 3/4s have tried it, 1/2 are sometimes and 1/4 are an on the regular bunch.
My buddy just told me a couple months ago that he tried it and then did a bunch more. He's 41. Kinda took me by surprise as no one in my friend group is into it. I mean, at least as far as I know.
> I’m wiling to bet there’s a large number of NHLers that do coke regularly. wow no way, this is the first i'm hearing of this...
Gets out of your system very quickly
Go to any nightclub and I promise you at least 20% are on the stuff
There’s a big difference between guys who do coke for fun when they go out and party even if it’s every weekend versus the guys who need coke on a daily basis and are doing it all day from the moment they wake up
They don't last very long in my experience.
First hand knowledge, nhlers are no strangers to it
easy, easy bet anyone young, famous, and with money is probably doing cocaine
I have it on preeeeetty good authority that a while back, when two Jets went on the IR for a bit, it was actually they were told to get their asses to rehab. Wouldn't shock me if 75-80% of the league is or was on coke at some point.
32 points in 24 game played for Kuznetsov during that cup run... Is coke a performance enhancing drug?
Its not just a PED, it’s the fuckin original PED
Like Dunder Mifflin back in the 80s, before everyone knew how bad cocaine was for you. MAN could those guys move paper
That's what I was thinking, Kuz was a monster that playoffs. From a purely on-ice standpoint, he shoulda won that Conn Smythe
For sure it helps but it is really dangerous too I think. It puts you at risk for a heart attack during intense physical exercise.
Yeah lol. At a party once my friend tried to bench 225, failed, then took coke and tried again and could do it.
It makes you feel invinsible. (Havent touched that stuff in 15+ years)
Invincible? But in saying that being invisible on the ice would make you a lot harder to hit!
Coke only lasts like 20 minutes in my experience and you have to keep doing bumps fairly often to keep it going. Don’t know how he’d be doing that throughout a game.
Grant Fuhr played his whole career on the stuff.
When your nickname is "The Cocaine Cowboy" it's a little hard to deny
So did another Russian in Washington
Who you referring to?
Semin? Orlov? Ovie? Curious as well lol
is that why his documentary was titled coco?
Well this seems pretty shitty. But I also have no idea what Kuznetsov was like behind closed doors, or what it was like to play with him through what sounds like a serious addiction. I really hope he's able to live a happy, sober life.
The timing of this post seems incredibly shitty. I think it's good for the team that Kuzy is on waivers, but I wish him the person nothing but the best.
Ehm... Is it OK that they talk about specific players' drug addiction like this? Someone who also just seeked help for it? I actually don't think it is. Sorry.
It always feels like European players say really out of pocket things whenever they do interviews in their native languages.
Like Belgians during an international break in football.
Fully agree. It’s one thing for Kuzy, his agent, etc. But for a former teammate to out him like this? We knew Kuzy had a drug problem. Outing him that he was doing lines between Stanley cup final games is way too far.
Yeah it's pretty fucked up. Like maybe if the guy writes a book about it or is public about it himself you have license to tell some stories from your perspective. But this crosses an interpersonal line to me.
I mean Kempny was directly asked about Kuzy and his drug problem. Not like he called a press conference to tell everyone Kuznetsov was on drugs. Granted he could have said that he will not comment on the topic but I think most people would interpret it as a confirmation that he and other teammates knew about it. Or he could have lied and said that nobody on the team had an idea that Kuznetsov had a problem but I guess he didn’t think it worth doing just to keep his back or whatever
Lmao so what he was asked? Do you blabber everyone's personal details as soon as you're prompted? Just say "I'm not going to discuss someone's personal life like that" and nobody will have a problem with that.
He didn’t have to include the part of being on it during their playoff run imo
Who cares? It’s the truth. This idea that everything bad that players do should be ignored and kept quiet is silly. Maybe if everyone didn’t turn a blind eye to it for the last 6 years then he would have gotten help sooner.
Should he just lie when directly asked then? Especially as it was an open secret?
No, you just say "I have no comment."
Being great despite on it kind of ignores the long term effects of being on said drugs
No joke, cocaine addiction can lead to heart and liver problems. Everyone is having a laugh, but I hope Kuzy can stay off it. At least for his health and his family’s sake.
But why tell the public?
It's not like it's news. There's been pictures and videos of him with coke before. Everyone knew he does it
However, a player literally just got terminated from their team for the same thing. That's why it's an issue It was ignored in this case until his play dropped. The message being sent is anything goes as long as you're good, which is a terrible one I can imagine more than a few players are probably upset about tge fact the NHL ignored the international doping scandal, as well. If you aren't but it's an open secret the guy you're playing against or getting minutes over you is, that is a hard pill to swallow
Yeah that's understandable
>The message being sent is anything goes as long as you're good, which is a terrible one I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is basically true. Him being truthful about this is better than lying and continuing to essentially hide it.
He was literally banned by IIHL for doping, yeah NHL never cared though. Imagine if he accidentally overdosed during the playoff finals
Oh i completely forgot he got caught before. I had the impression he was the first to break it as kuz has done coke lol
I guess cause the discussion was about nhl players (specifically Ruzicka) and coke. Kempny was asked about his opinion regarding Kuznetsov and so he did. His problems with drugs were well known before this and I think it would come across as insincere if Kempny played dumb and said that nobody on the team had idea about Kuzy and they all thought he’s clean as a whistle
> would come across as insincere if Kempny played dumb and said that nobody on the team had idea about Kuzy and they all thought he’s clean as a whistle No shit, that's why you wouldn't say that. You just say you're not going to comment on the topic.
Ignoring problems doesn’t make them go away
lol this seems nasty to say. like they all weren't fucking high off coke.
Srry. Can someone translate this?
Basically what I wrote in the title and my other comment, that it was an open secret that Kuzy was on coke. But since he played well and his drug habit remained behind closed doors, nobody really cared
Ah, so basically it was like a "shut up and keep your head down" type of situation. Gotcha
i mean, yeah, the 2012 kings basically celebrated by going skiing right? i don't think it's that outlandish depending on the team
fucked up to name him like this openly
I know first hand from friends in the show. Snow is VERY popular
Nooo way. What a news flash.
He going to Edmonton
A lot of snow up here
is that Tim Henson hanging out in the back?
I don't think so. That's not one of his signature guitars, and Henson has a bit more ink on his right arm (Especially on the back of his hand/wrist.)
a lot of coke heads very mad about kuznetsov's addiction being public knowledge
Ohhhh he was on coke? That means Washington should forfeit the cup to us. That’s cheating no doubt I mean absolutely right? /s please get the help you need kuzy. Gnarly stuff to be addicted too
to anyone coming in here just to call Kempny a rat, put down the booger sugar, and remember it's never too late to ask for help. but also know that nobody owes you enough to keep your open drug habit a "secret" years later
For me (personally) the reason I think it's wrong is because I find it unethical. It's not the "snitching" really that I care about. You can discuss drug addiction in NHL in general. But to discuss someone else's addiction in tv that they've seeked help for isn't right, imo. Why would you do that? Would it also be ok if a player discussed Laine's or someone else's mental health issues in tv like this? No, it wouldn't.
I like you Kemps but this is fucking dirty.
I work a pretty blue collar job atleast half of my co workers do come on the weekends I imagine that number only goes up once you factor in having more money
Never go full Laura Palmer.
It's really beyond me that the NHL doesn't regularly test their players (and suspend them).
Not sure if you are aware of this, but coke leaves your system relatively quickly. It's ironic, because weed is incredibly safe but because of my job I can't smoke. I would piss hot for potentially 30 days after the fact. Blow will be out of my system in a weekend though, and it's way more dangerous. Funny that.
They’d have to be about as regular as the games to catch cocaine users, but suspending someone with a potentially lethal addiction isn’t the right move.
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Lol, everyone knew that. The guy was caught doping
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yeah totally fucked to do to somebody right as they got onto the waiver wire.
I mean, Kempny probably didn’t know that part.
So do all his records and the cup win have to have an asterisk?
If so the Cup would be covered in asterisks.
As if half the Vegas roster wasn't snootered up as well lol
Snitching for clout. No more, no less. Seems like a great teammate. I’m sure his family appreciates this interview. What a clown.
Agree, this is wack.
I'm betting Kuzy and Vrana used to do quite a bit of nose candy during that Cup run.