Suspicious test: details of the doping scandal involving Spartak hockey player Morozov

Spartak Moscow lost its key hockey player, Ivan Morozov, this week. He was removed from the squad on the eve of the derby with CSKA in the KHL due to the discovery of traces of a banned drug in his body. This is the fourth such scandal in Russian hockey in 2025. Earlier, CSKA Moscow players Vladislav Kamenev and Nikita Sedov, as well as a hockey player from Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Anatoly Golyshev, were out of the game due to doping. All three were suspended about six months ago, but the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has not yet completed proceedings on their cases.

Morozov

On September 16, a few hours before the start of the match with CSKA, Spartak officially announced the suspension of Ivan Morozov from the games due to a positive doping test.

"Based on the official notification received from RUSADA, a prohibited substance was detected in the sample of striker Ivan Morozov,— Spartak said in a statement. — In accordance with the established regulations, the athlete is temporarily suspended from participating in the training process and team matches until all prescribed procedures are completed and the circumstances are finally established. The club draws attention to the fact that the detected substance entered the player's body outside the scope of the activities of HC Spartak and the medical staff of the team. Spartak Hockey Club consistently adheres to the principles of fair play, advocates strict compliance with anti-doping rules and will provide full assistance to the authorized bodies in the ongoing proceedings.

A little later, Alexander Malyshev, a former Spartak press attache who worked at the club in the early 2010s, citing his sources, wrote in a personal telegram channel that traces of cocaine had been found in the 25-year-old hockey player's body. No one has officially commented on this information.

The loss of Morozov did not affect the result of the derby with CSKA. There, losing 2-5 in the middle of the second period, Spartak managed to equalize the score, and then won in a shootout (6:5). But at a distance, the loss of the central striker of the first link can be a big problem for the red and white.

Morozov joined Spartak in 2023. In the next two seasons, he became the key center of the first attacking link of the red-whites, constantly playing with Nikolai Goldobin and Pavel Ordin. This trio became one of the brightest and most productive in the KHL, largely thanks to it, Spartak confidently reached the second round of the playoffs.

Last summer, Goldobin left for SKA St. Petersburg, and the head coach of the red-whites, Alexei Zhamnov, had to constantly change his teammates for Morozov and Ordin. Against this background, Spartak did not start the season very well — the victory over CSKA was only the second for the team out of the first five matches. So far, the club is located on the border of the Western Conference playoff zone.

— Naturally, this brings the team down, what else can I say, — Valery Kamensky, adviser to the president of Spartak, commented on the situation to Sport-Express. — But we need to find out the details of what and how. Maybe there will be another trial. You know that. It is necessary to investigate and only then draw conclusions.

Effects

Earlier in 2025, there were three more episodes involving the suspension of KHL club players due to doping. On March 15, it was announced the discovery of the banned drug meldonium in CSKA striker Vladislav Kamenev. In April, his teammate, defender Nikita Sedov, was suspended for the same thing.

In August, at the initiative of the player, CSKA terminated the contract with Sedov. According to Denis Denisov, the sports director of the army club, Nikita went to arrange a career in another country. Also in the spring, striker Anatoly Golyshev, one of the leaders of Avtomobilist, was suspended. It was claimed that he tested positive for pseudoephedrine.

So far, RUSADA has not completed the review of the cases of all three hockey players. There are no clear deadlines for making decisions, so it is not known when and what sanctions they will face. In September, KHL President Alexei Morozov, referring to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, said that they were considering the possibility of disqualifying Golyshev for two years. But so far no punishments have been imposed.

At the same time, none of the three hockey players, according to media reports, did not recognize the premeditation of the use of these drugs. As for Ivan Morozov, his side's version has not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, all four players, even if they receive lengthy suspensions, can try to find a job in North America. The fact is that the National Hockey League (NHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL), which is below it, do not obey the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and test the hockey players of their teams themselves.

The most striking example is the episode with the Russian striker Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had traces of cocaine in his body in 2019. Then the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) imposed a four-year suspension on him. During this period, the hockey player was deprived of the opportunity to play for the Russian national team in all competitions under the auspices of the IIHF and the Russian Hockey Federation (RIHF), the KHL and any European leagues, since they are all subordinate to their national federations, and, accordingly, the international federation, which is a signatory to the WADA anti-doping code.

The NHL did not sign up to it, so it imposes sanctions for doping in accordance with its internal regulations. And she disqualified Kuznetsov for three matches with the wording for "inappropriate behavior." Thus, in case of disqualification, players can try to continue their career in the United States, if there is a demand for them there. Recall that the rights to Ivan Morozov overseas belong to the Vegas Golden Knights, who selected him in the 2018 draft. In 2022, he signed a two-year contract with a club from Nevada and went there, but could not break into the main team and make his NHL debut. As a result, Morozov spent a season in the AHL for the Vegas farm club, after which he moved to Spartak.

"Of course, Morozov is a loss," Vyacheslav Fetisov, a legendary hockey player and former head of Rossport, told Sport Express. — When the leading player is eliminated at the beginning of the season... The team was counting on him. What is the reason that this is the fourth KHL player in a year to find himself in such a situation? With irresponsibility. It's the athlete's fault, Doctor, I don't know, the coach. There is nothing new in this.

Recall that at the end of May, the KHL announced that it had conducted 450 doping tests during the 2024/2025 season and revealed 3 violations.