Four-time Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Gagarin cup champion, 36-year-old Danis Zaripov has been tested positive on one of the last years doping tests, receiving a two-year suspension from the IIHF.
KHL has said that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) had decided to suspend Zaripov until May 22, 2019, after one of his samples was found to contain banned stimulants, as well as substances prohibited as diuretics and masking agents.
Zaripov's suspension is a rare case of a doping ban among high-profile Russian national hockey players and comes as the country says it has taken measures to curb the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
A KHL board member has said that the decision had to be made, and it shouldn't matter of the caliber of player that could potentially be caught and suspended, the suspension was well deserved. However KHL, AkBars Kazan and IIHF have refused to comment further.
Zaripov is a 3-time world champion, one-time silver and bronze medalist at the worlds, a Russian Super League champion and above all, four time Gagarin Cup champion.
KHL has also announced that Derek Smith and Andrei Konev have also been suspended. Smith will miss time up until September 2nd, 2018 but Konev will return on November 19th, 2017.
-UPDATED- Per multiple sources, Danis Zaripov will appeal the decision.