Sean Hill (ice hockey)

Sean Ronald Hill (born February 14, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eight different teams. He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing career
Hill was drafted in the 8th round, 167th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft from the Wisconsin Badgers, and was a member of the United States 1992 Winter Olympic Team. On October 8, 1993, Hill scored the first goal in the history of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a 7-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings. In August 2006, he signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders.

Suspension
On April 20, 2007, Hill became the first player to be suspended for abusing the performance-enhancing substance policy the NHL and NHLPA have put in place. Hill began the mandatory 20-game suspension in Game 5 of the Islanders' Eastern Conference Quarter-Final versus the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders lost the game and were eliminated from the playoffs. Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said that he supported the league's decision to suspend Hill. Hill, who was signed by the Minnesota Wild as a free agent in July 2007, would be required to sit out the first 19 games of the 2007–08 season without pay. In July, Hill claimed that he passed both a lie detector test, and independent drug test regarding his substance abuse. In a statement, the Wild said, "We believe Sean did not knowingly take any banned performance-enhancing substance." Hill returned to the lineup on November 21, 2007, after completing the 20-game suspension.