The Minnesota State goalie who won this year's Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and then accepted a six-month ban for an anti-doping rule violation.
McKay will play for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
McKay was a college free agent after not being selected in the NHL draft. NHL teams haven't pursued him because he's 5-foot-11 at a time when goalies who physically fill the net are preferable. McKay played his final NCAA game for the Mavericks on April 9, losing to Denver in the Frozen Four national championship game.
Thank you to everyone in Mankato for four years. Relationships and memories will last a lifetime. I will always be proud to be a maverick. McKay had previously indicated that he would leave Minnesota State despite having one more year of eligibility.
McKay accepted a six-month ban from competition for an anti-doping rule violation. He will be allowed to enter the Marlies facilities on August 25 and play for the team in October.
McKay was told on February 1 that a urine sample he took on January 23 returned a positive test for ostarine, a banned substance by the USADA.
McKay said there was no direct performance benefit from the amount.
McKay suspected that the ostarine could have come from one of the supplements he had been taking. They were shipped to a lab for testing. He said that he had been taking an all-natural immune booster for 10 days and that it contained ostarine.
McKay's suspension was lifted on February 3 because he was able to establish the source of the contamination. The situation was brought to the attention of the NCAA and Minnesota State athletics. The NCAA made its own ruling that McKay was eligible to complete his senior season with the Mavericks, leading them to the school's first Division I men's hockey Frozen Four championship game appearance.
The Hobey Baker Award Memorial Committee upheld his win.
McKay accepted a six-month suspension from the USADA on the advice of his lawyer.
The range for a non-intentional ingestion is between four to eight months or four to 10 months, depending on the situation. If he wanted to accept the six months, he had to make a decision. It made sense to accept the six-month ban. Now that his season is over, let the process begin.
McKay was being tested for drugs after being named to the U.S. men's hockey team for the Beijing Games. McKay's services were not needed.
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