Schmidt said the positive test was the result of \u201cenvironmental contamination that [he] could not have possibly prevented.\u201d He said the test yielded a \u201cmicroscopic amount of a tainted substance,\u201d that would not have been able to improve his performance anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I support having a strong Performance Enhancing Substances Program in place for our sport, it is difficult to accept this suspension. I understand that I will miss these games, but I do not agree with the suspension and I will not accept being labelled a cheater,” Schmidt insisted.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n“I have worked my whole life to become an NHL player, and I\u2019m extremely proud to be a player in the NHL. I have never cut corners in order to achieve this goal. I am grateful for the support of the entire Golden Knights organization and I can\u2019t put into words how disappointed I am that I will not be on the ice at the beginning of the season to help my teammate work towards another Stanley Cup run,\u201d Schmidt continued in an issued statement.<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights organization is standing by Schmidt, supporting his claim that the positive test was faulty.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe firmly believe that the presence of a trace of the banned substance was accidental and unintentional,” a team-issued communication read.<\/p>\n
“Based on our conversations with Nate, analysis from independent medical experts, and sworn testimony from the parties involved, we believe it is clear Nate was not able to reasonably ascertain how the substance entered his body. Nate is an honest person with high moral character and great integrity. We will stand by him and support him during this time,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n
The substance Schmidt tested positive for has not been publicly identified.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This time last year, a $20 bet on the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup was slated to win $10,000. Ultimately, the expansion franchise fell three wins short of hoisting hockey’s ultimate trophy, but they gave Las Vegas sportsbooks a good sweat in the process. Needless to say, the Golden Knights won’t open […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":87238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Vegas Golden Knights Not Sneaking Up On Hometown Books in 2018<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n