Hockey Slovakia condemns Adam Ruzicka's behavior, drops him from championships: Reports

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Feb 28, 2024 18:18 GMT

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The Arizona Coyotes recently released Slovakian forward Adam Ruzicka following a controversial video he posted on social media.

In the video, Ruzicka can be seen next to a counter that contained a white powder resembling cocaine. The Coyotes waived him for the purpose of termination and issued a statement that they would not comment on the issue.

The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation also issued a statement, expressing its disappointment in Ruzicka's behavior. The association's statement reads (Translated):

"The Slovak Ice Hockey Association condemns the behavior of Adam Ruzicka, which is not in accordance with the values of the representative, and therefore we do not count on him in the nomination for the preliminary matches and the World Championships in May"

Hockey Slovakia condemns behaviour of Adam Ruzicka that doesn’t align with that of a national team player. We don’t intend to call him up for pre-tournament games and World Championships byu/Amphibious_Fire inhockey

Ruzicka had joined the Arizona Coyotes only a month ago, after having been claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames on Jan. 25. Ruzicka was in the second season of a two-year deal worth $1.525 million before his contract was terminated.

In his brief stay with the Coyotes, he did not manage to score any points. Before that, he had played 39 games with the Calgary Flames, contributing nine points. The first time Ruzicka appeared in the NHL was in April 2021. He has played 117 games.

Adam Ruzicka is not the only player to have had his NHL contract terminated

Adam Ruzicka became the second NHL player to be let go this season, after Corey Perry from the Chicago Blackhawks. Perry was let go because of a violation of the team's workplace policy. He later filed a grievance and played for the Edmonton Oilers after an extension was granted.

The NHL has also penalized the Washington Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov in 2019 for off-ice behavior. Kuznetsov was suspended for three games for "improper behavior" after he was accused of drug use at the World Championships.

A video posted on social media showed him at a table with lines of white powder and American dollars. Furthermore, Kuznetsov was disqualified from playing for Russia for four years as he tested positive for cocaine. He recently entered the NHL player assistance program.