The Edmonton Oilers left Saturday for an exhibiton tour of West Germany. Grant Fuhr stayed home.
The Edmonton Journal reported Friday that the former all-star goaltender admitted to a drug problem that dates back to 1983. Fuhr, 28, has been banned by the NHL from playing in any regularly scheduled exhibition games until after a league hearing, scheduled for Sept. 26.Former Oilers coach Glen Sather said he was reluctant to act on what he hoped were only rumors about the off-ice habits of his star goaltender until Fuhr admitted he had been a substance abuser for at least seven years.
Fuhr's ex-wife, Corrine, said she told Sather about her ex-husband's problems years ago.
"What I would say to Grant all the way through this period of years we're talking about, with the information I was getting from people, I would threaten him with it, try to hold it over his head. And that's all I had," Sather said Friday.
Sather, still the Oilers' general manager, admitted he tried to use the information to control Fuhr.
"We spent a lot of time ... trying to make sure all these young guys on this hockey club led a straight and narrow life, but there's no guarantee."