Former Boston College and Bruins forward Kevin Stevens was charged in federal court this week with conspiring to sell the drug Oxycodone, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Stevens, 51, and a second man, Christopher Alonardo, of Medford, Mass., are both being charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone stemming from an incident in the fall of 2015, and are both being held until a detention hearing scheduled for next week.
The Pembroke, Mass., native has experienced numerous substance abuse issues during, and after, the end of his NHL career, and entered the NHL Substance Abuse Program prior to his retirement from hockey in 2002.
Stevens played 15 seasons in the NHL, including a couple of Stanley Cup-winning seasons in 1991 and 1992 while playing with Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins, but things had begun to fall apart for Stevens as early as the 2000 season with the New York Rangers when he was arrested in Illinois on charges of soliciting a prostitute and possessing drug paraphernalia.
Stevens played part of one season with his hometown Bruins in 1995-96 where he didn’t live up to the lofty expectations he’d made for himself after a couple of 50-goal seasons with the Penguins, and was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Rick Tocchet in January, 1996.
Stevens scored 329 goals and 726 points in his 15-year career with the Penguins, Bruins, Kings, and Rangers.
Stevens had been working part-time for the Penguins organization as an NHL scout within the past five years and was a frequent face at the TD Garden, but hadn’t been working for the Pittsburgh the past few years.
Boston Bruins
In a statement to the Globe, Stevens’ attorney, John J. Commisso of Jackson Lewis, P.C. in Boston, said that Stevens would be challenging the charges, and remains plagued with “injuries, pain, and other challenges.”