Are there any hockey players who smoke

The National Hockey League has a similar tobacco policy as well: Smokeless tobacco cannot be used at the arena and players cannot endorse it. NHL health professionals conduct annual tours to warn players of the health risks associated with chewing tobacco, and the NHLPA provides assistance to players trying to quit.

The prevalence of smokeless tobacco is a consequence, in part, of the stigma associated with smoking, which was popular among players in the s and s. Former player Steve Larmer smoked more than a pack of cigarettes every day throughout his career. Smoking also was popular in the early days of the NBA.

Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach was famous for frequently smoking cigars, and some of his players smoked at halftime of games. Significantly fewer NBA players smoke today, and overall tobacco use is less of an issue than in other leagues. Newport menthol cigarettes, made by Lorillard, were the favorite cigarette among new teen smokers. A study found that one third to one half of professional athletes used some form of nicotine.

The study concluded smokeless nicotine products were especially popular due to the fact they do not affect the respiratory system. Virginia Tech Washington Wisconsin. Purdue Syracuse Villanova Virginia Wisconsin. Redblacks Stampeders. Featured Teams. Home Odds. Bayern Munich Dortmund. Celtic Rangers. Toggle navigation Subscribe. Lights out: In the NHL, cigarette smoking has been virtually extinguished.

Fluto Shinzawa Nov 8, Bruce Cassidy was in the clouds. Long before he was the coach of the Bruins , he had gotten the call as an year-old to travel to Los Angeles from Peterborough, Ontario, to play in his first career NHL game.

Once-in-a-lifetime excitement did not dull the growling of his stomach. Legendary Boston Celtics radio man Johnny Most's neglected Kool once set his pants on fire while he was on the air during a game. Hard data has largely gone up in smoke, but hockey might very well have had a higher concentration of puffers than any other sport. And not just the plumbers lit up. Many of the game's all-time greats were heavy smokers. If you ever saw the Montreal Canadiens' Hall of Fame winger Guy Lafleur away from a rink, chances are he had a cigarette between his right thumb and forefinger.

Swift's Sports Illustrated story from May documents. Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux smoked well into his brilliant career, but finally gave it up, perhaps due to his scary bout with Hodgkin's Disease.

Chicago's Denis Savard scored goals during his year Hall of Fame career despite a habit that was estimated to be at least a pack a day. Keenan tried to get Savard to stop, and did for a while. He was going through withdrawal. He went back on them," the ex-coach says. Darren Pang, a goalie for the Blackhawks in the s, recalls driving to practice one day with Savard, who filled the car with a tobacco cloud. One of the most openly notorious NHL smokers of all was Al "Planet" Iafrate, a defenseman known for his big slap shot and bigger appetite for nicotine.

Louis Blues. And Al Iafrate was lighting up with a blowtorch for bending sticks. Coming from junior hockey, I found that rather unique. Anyone who covered the NHL when Iafrate played from until his retirement in as a San Jose Shark probably saw him sitting on a chair outside the dressing room with his shirt and sometimes pants off, puffing away.

Legend has it that Iafrate once bummed a cigarette off an Ottawa reporter between periods, lighting it up in his customary blowtorch blaze of glory. But while such tales were once commonplace, they have largely disappeared from hockey.

Pictures are out there on the internet, supposedly of some current players with cigarettes in their mouths. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff said in a statement sent to SI. It's not good for you. All rights reserved. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www. But Larmer believes his smoking held him back. Report an error. Journalistic Standards. About The Star. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now it is free Sign In. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct.

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