INSIDE HOCKEY

Somewhere in Gary Bettman’s office is a folder with the words “Steroids Accusations Contingency Plan” written on it. It was not to see the light of day until the inevitable moment when “steroids” and “hockey” were used in the same sentence. On Wednesday, the league was forced to shatter the glass case with a hammer and press the red button marked “in case of emergency.”

Make no mistake, the NHL and the Caps’ PR teams are on their toes after an unsettling story broke Tuesday. Richard and Sandra Thomas, two alleged steroids dealers from Central Florida, told Polk County police that they had sold steroids to several prominent athletes. They also mentioned two teams - the Washington Nationals and the Washington Capitals.

Within 24 hours, the NHL had already issued a statement to put a lid on the potential bombshell.

“The Washington Capitals have no knowledge of any aspect of this allegation," Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner said Wednesday. "Capitals players were subjected to no-notice testing three times in each of the past two seasons pursuant to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and there was no indication of any improper conduct or wrongdoing.

“Even though there are no specifics provided in the story and we have no reason, at this point, to believe the allegations are true, the National Hockey League takes all matters of this nature very seriously and will conduct a prompt investigation.”

From a league policy standpoint, the NHL is well prepared to deal with this story. Bettman and the commissioners of every other league in America have watched baseball’s once-pristine reputation gets cut to ribbons from a healthy distance. It’s why the current drug testing policy was put into place when NHL version 2.0 emerged from the lockout.

The league and the Caps are playing this the only way they can. They’re telling the fans, “We randomly test our players three times a year. Who are you gonna believe, us or this crazy kook who has no specifics to his story?”

In court, that would be a rock-solid defense. The only problem is that the court of public opinion may work a little differently. Thanks to baseball, when it comes to steroids and athletes everyone is presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Any benefit of the doubt that once existed in sports with PED’s is gone or at least severely damaged. Baseball tried the “krazy kook” defense on Jose Canseco for years. The problem was that he was right all along. Sleazy though he may be, everything he said was on the mark.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that Richard and Sandra Thomas are simply trying to grab attention and publicity. After all, they have no concrete dates, times or names. It’s not like they said “We injected Michael Pivonka, Pat Peake and Mike Eagles with steroids three times during the summer of 1996.”

Still, it’s awfully difficult to just sweep a steroids story under the rug these days. One reason is that it makes logistic sense that hockey players can derive significant benefits from steroids. Let’s face it, the season is long, grueling and punishing. It requires incredible feats of physical stamina, strength and toughness.

Also, why did the dealers go out of their way to mention the Capitals and Nationals? If they were only trying to grab publicity, wouldn’t they have chosen a more high-profile sports franchise like the Lakers or Cowboys?

The NHL has correctly acknowledged the possibility of there being some truth to the story and has promised a full investigation. It’s the right thing to tell the fans. Assure them that a task force is looking into it, perform a half-hearted investigation and tell everyone that, to no surprise, there is nothing to this story. If they do find something, they should keep it behind closed doors.

Trust me, we don’t want to know. The league is on the rise after delicately rebuilding a shattered bond with the average sports fan and can’t afford a scandal. Ratings are up. Crosby, Ovechkin and three of the original six teams have been prominent this season.

Imagine if, heaven forbid, it were discovered that players currently on the Caps had used. The consequences for the league would be dire. This is not baseball. There aren’t enough loyal fans out there who will say “They used? I don’t care.” If the casual fan leaves, then the league’s existence may be pushed to the brink. Nobody wants that to happen.

The NHL deserves the benefit of the doubt. It’s a league with a squeaky clean reputation. The character of its players is one of the things that makes it so great and separates it from other leagues. Unfortunately, whether or not the public decides to let this one slide is largely out of Bettman or anyone else’s hands.