The NHL had claimed that the lack of any positive tests proved that there was no steroid problem in the NHL. This claim is unbelievable based on the Olympic drug tests and admissions by several NHL players.
The first person to fail a drug test administered by the NHL is Sean Hill of the New York Islanders. He is a 37 year old defenceman who has never been an NHL star. He played a regular role on the Islander defence, but was only one game from playoff elimination when the positive test was announced. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his 20 game suspension (game one was last night's playoff game - 19 games remain) may be enough to end his career.
The truly cynical side of me says that the way to "prove" the NHL drug testing works is to sacrifice one or two bit players at the end of their careers to positive tests. Sean Hill would definitely fit this description.
Meanwhile "headhunters" for the most part get off easier than drug users. With the exception of the 25-game suspension handed out to Chris Simon for his senseless shot in the head to Ryan Hollweg, players who jeopardize the careers of their peers get off easy (e.g., Janssen's hit on Kaberle).
