Adam Ružička. (source: TASR)
NHL franchise Arizona Coyotes has terminated Slovak ice hockey player Adam Ružička's contract. Last Friday, the player posted a video on his social media showing Ružička with white powder appearing to be cocaine and a credit card on a table.
The player was with the Coyotes for about a month. The franchise claimed him off waivers from the Calgary Flames at the end of January. Ružička played three games for the team, earning no points.
The NHL Players Association has 60 days to file an appeal on Ružička's behalf. There is a chance that his career in the NHL may be over. So far, he has spent four seasons in the NHL, playing in 117 games.
In reaction to the video, the Slovak Ice-hockey Association (SZĽH) issued a statement condemning Ružička's behaviour, adding that the Slovak team is not counting on Ružička for preparatory matches ahead of the May Ice Hockey World Championship in the Czech Republic.
This was not the only example of an ice hockey player behaving badly last week. Although still a teenager, Banská Bystrica player Boris Žabka Jr. assaulted his peer at a disco party after the latter supposedly brushed against Žabka's girlfriend. The victim had to undergo eye surgery, reported the Hospodárske Noviny daily.
