Reporter adds fuel to Lehner's accusations against Philadelphia with report on Nolan Patrick
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner set off a firestorm on Twitter Saturday night, saying NHL teams have been giving players Ambien and benzodiazepines without a prescription. Lehner indicated it was a common practice for teams to hand out the pills without the involvement of a doctor, and singled out the Philadelphia Flyers, even calling for head coach Alain Vigneault to be fired. The big question was where these accusations were coming from considering Lehner has never played for the Flyers. It seems we now have some additional info.
Sports journalist Drew Wheeler indicates sources have told him that "Flyers training staff gave Nolan Patrick non-prescribed Ambien and Benzodiazepines to help with his traumatic head injury while not disclosing the medication given to him at the time."
Wheeler also added that Lehner was not his source. However, it's not difficult to connect the two statements as Patrick is now a member of the Golden Knights after being traded there over the summer.
Patrick has had major issues with migraine headaches over the last couple of years and it seemed it might bring an end to his hockey career at one point. However, he appears to be doing much better right now and is counting on playing a depth role with Vegas during the upcoming season. Lehner said that he had proof that players were being given these medications without prescriptions, and added that he would bring forward more "truth" over the coming days in the NHL and NHLPA didn't step in to fix this issue.
Related: ROBIN LEHNER ACCUSES NHL TEAMS OF HANDING OUT ANTI-ANXIETY MEDS, CLAIMS HE HAS PROOF
Ambien is a brand of medication often used to fight sleep issues, but can also be prescribed as an anti-anxiety drug. Benzodiazepines come in a few forms, with the popular brand names being Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Serax, and Centrax.
If either of these accusations contain any truth, this is not a good look for the NHL. Medications such as these should really only be given out with a prescription from, and on the advice of a doctor trained to do so. So far, there's been no statement from the league or the Players Association.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Werenski | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cam Atkinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Holmstom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kent Johnson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan Walker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Radek Faksa | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Conor Geekie | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||