Seidenberg Makes Deal in German Doping Case
© Andrew Nelles-Imagn Images - Seidenberg Makes Deal in German Doping CaseFormer German professional hockey player and Olympic silver medalist Yannic Seidenberg has agreed to a lesser penalty in an ongoing criminal doping case against him in exchange for testifying against the doctor who prescribed the controlled substances to him, according to several German media outlets including Eishockey.de.
“The athlete named the doctor and disclosed his own communication with him,” the Munich public prosecutor told ARD television.
While playing for Red Bull Munich, then-38-year-old Seidenberg tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone and DHEA prior to the start of the 2022-23 hockey season. Seidenberg said at the time through his lawyer that he had been taking medicine prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons and that he had asked the doctor “not to prescribe him any substances prohibited by the banned list.”
The National Doping Agency of Germany gave him a four-year ban, effectively ending his playing career unless it was quickly overturned. In May 2024, Seidenberg and his doctor were both charged criminally for “violations of the anti-doping law.”
According to reports, Seidenberg has agreed to a “high four-figure fine” and no criminal record in exchange for his testimony against the doctor.
Between 2001 and 2022, Seidenberg played 1,092 DEL regular-season and playoff games for Adler Mannheim, Kölner Haie, ERC Ingolstadt and, for his final nine seasons, Munich. He recorded 522 points and 1,087 penalty minutes. He played both forward and defense in his career and won the award as the DEL’s top defenseman in 2017-18. He also won three straight league championships with Munich in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Seidenberg played one season in North America in his career with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers in 2003-04. He had 66 points in 67 regular-season games and then 24 points in 24 post-season games as the Tigers reached the Memorial Cup semifinal.
Internationally, Seidenberg played for Germany at two IIHF U-18 World Championships, one World Junior Championship and 10 top-level World Championships. He was also a member of the German team that surprisingly reached the final of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
His older brother is former NHL defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. The two were briefly teammates with Alder Mannheim during the 2012-13 NHL lockout and they also played together at two World Championships.
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