Islanders D Hill suspended 20 games for violating drug policy

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Islanders defenseman Sean Hill on Friday became the first NHL player suspended for violating the league's drug policy -- a 20-game ban that will carry into next season.

Hill was already traveling home to Long Island when the Islanders were eliminated from the playoffs with a 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Where Hill will be playing next remains a question because he completed his one-year contract with the Islanders and will be become an unrestricted free agent in July. Under rules of the NHL's performance-enhancing substances program, he will sit out the first 19 games of next season.

It's unclear what substance was found in Hill's system.

In making a brief statement before the game, Islanders general manager Garth Snow said the team supported the NHL's decision to suspend Hill.

"The New York Islanders do not support the use of performance-enhancing agents in any form," Snow said.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Canada's TSN cable network that Hill's suspension came after an independent arbitrator denied the player's appeal.

Without providing a timetable, Daly wondered about Hill being allowed to play in the playoffs while his appeal was being heard.

"It's a concern. It's a balancing act," Daly said. "I would've been concerned if we had acted without Sean having had his right to be heard. That would have been unfair to the player to be out of competition if, in fact, he was able to sustain his appeal."

Hill helped the Islanders qualify for the playoffs, part of a team that won its final four games to clinch the East's eighth and last postseason berth on the final day of the regular season.

Coach Ted Nolan said the suspension didn't affect his team.

"Certain things you have to live with. It was just one of those things that happened," Nolan said. "We played with the people we had."

Islanders players declined to comment on Hill's suspension. But goalie Rick DiPietro noted the team missed the veteran's presence.