Evgeny Kuznetsov Denies Cocaine Use After Appearing Next to Lines of White Powder
Evgeny Kuznetsov denied using cocaine on Monday after a video appeared on Twitter with the Capitals center near a table with two lines white powder.
"I have never used drugs and I am not going to get involved in this. If I have questions, I am ready to undergo a medical examination at any time," Kuznetzov told the Russian news outlet Sport-Express on Monday. "This video year. It was the summer of 2018 in Vegas, when we won the Stanley Cup. By the past World Cup is all the more irrelevant. I just went to my friends in the room. When I saw what was happening there–unfamiliar women, strange substances on the table—he called a friend and left there as soon as possible."
You can see the video featuring Kuznetzov below:
Kuznetzov won the bronze medal with Russia at the Hockey World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia on Sunday. He led the Capitals in scoring in their run to the 2018 Stanley Cup, pouring in 12 goals in 21 playoff games
“We are aware of the video that surfaced on social media of Evgeny Kuznetsov,” the Capitals said in a statement on Monday. “We are currently in the process of gathering facts and will have no further comment at this time.”
NHL Deputy Commissoner Bil Daly addressed the Kuznetsov video on Monday.
“Obviously, we have to understand the facts and circumstances and what happened, and that involves appropriate follow-up with the appropriate people. I wouldn’t call it a formal investigation; we want to know what’s going on," Daly told the Washington Post. "[Kuznetsov] seems to have acknowledged that he was in that room with whatever it is, but I don’t know what whatever it is, and he claims not to have used whatever it is, so on that basis, I’m not going to convict him of anything."
Kuznetsov scored 21 goals in 76 games in 2018–19. The Capitals finished the regular season at 48-26-8, but fell to Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs.