By now you have heard the story. A steroid dealer is busted in Lakeland, and in his interview with police tells the officers he has sold steroids to athletes in all the major sports, including he says, players on the Capitals and Washington Nationals baseball team.

It must be said, no names were mentioned, the dealer, Richard Thomas, never gave a time frame for his alleged sales and authorities have said in news reports they have no evidence to corroborate the statement. Lightning center Jeff Halpern, who played for the Capitals from 1999-2004, said, "I find it hard to believe," any teammates were using.

"Personally, I don't think anybody took them," Halpern said. "I don't remember it being around. I don't know of anybody talking about it. I'm sure in the history of the NHL there have been guys who used it, but on any of the teams I've been on it's never been around or, to my knowledge, been used. I could be completely wrong but that's what I think."

The NHL does have a steroid testing policy. Teams are tested at least twice randomly during the season and some up to three times. There is no testing during the offseason.

According to an Associated Press story from 2007, the Islanders Bryan Berard and Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore failed out-of-competition tests administered by their national anti-doping organizations in November 2005, but weren't suspended because the test was before the NHL put its drug-testing policy in place in January 2006. Sean Hill, then of the Islanders, was suspended for 20 games for steroids use in 2007.

As for the accusations about the Capitals?

"I've never used them. I've never been around them or seen guys that have used them," Halpern said. "So if that were true, it would be a complete shock to me. ... I can even remember conversations where guys were like, 'Do you think anyone we've played with is on it or has been on it?' It's that rare in those locker rooms. I never saw any sense that it would be around."