Stig Wetzell

Stig Wetzell
Born	(1945-10-07) October 7, 1945 Vaasa, FIN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	173 lb (78 kg; 12 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	SM-liiga UPa HJK HIFK
National team	Finland
Playing career	1967–1983

Stig Wetzell (born October 7, 1945 in Vaasa, Finland) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga. He played for HJK and HIFK.

Playing career

Stig Wetzell started his SM-liiga career in 1967. He played in SM-liiga for 16 years before retiring in 1983.

Wetzell won the SM-liiga Championship twice, in 1974 and 1983. On both occasions he played for HIFK, which was his team for most of his career.

1974 Doping Controversy

Stig Wetzell, Heikki Riihiranta, Matti Murto and Matti Hagman in 1992

Wetzell was caught doping during the 1974 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Finland. Testers found illegal amounts of Ephedrine in his urine sample.

Wetzell's positive A- and B-samples caused Finland's 5–2 win over Czechoslovakia to be reversed to a 5–0 loss to the Czechs. It is still debated if Wetzell was intentionally using illegal substances. If Finland's 5-2 victory over Czechoslovakia had stood, Finland would have won bronze medals in the tournament.

Wetzell received an International Competition ban due to his doping in the 1974 Championship Tournament.

Later, Wetzell received an apology from the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, and he was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

External links

• Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame bio