Editor’s Note: This story was included in The Athletic’s Best of 2019. See the full list.



Back in May, a video featuring the Washington Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov sitting near two lines of a white, powder-like substance that many presumed to be cocaine began making the rounds on social media. It was taken while the team was in Las Vegas to play the Golden Knights.



Not much came of it — Kuznetsov issued a denial that said he never used drugs, the Capitals and the NHL followed with statements of their own, and people more or less moved on amid the churn of playoff hockey.



The issue resurfaced when the International Ice Hockey Federation announced in August that Kuznetsov had tested positive for cocaine back in May while he was competing for the Russian national team in the world championships. Kuznetsov then issued a statement in which he acknowledged he had “disappointed so many people.”



The IIHF assessed a...