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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jose Theodore has a full head of hair and a clear conscience.

The Montreal Canadiens goaltender would also like to keep it that way, even if it means testing positive for a banned substance in pre-Olympic screening because of a hair-growth stimulant he's been taking for more than eight years.

"I don't feel I've got anything to hide," Theodore said Thursday. "It's not something I got on the black market. It was a prescription from the doctor for eight years and I don't feel uncomfortable about anything."

Theodore added that he has nothing to be embarrassed about either, crediting the stimulant, Propecia, for keeping his hair long and full.

"I'd recommend it to anybody," he said with a laugh after he backed up Cristobal Huet, who made his fifth consecutive start in Montreal's 3-2 overtime win against the Sabres.

Theodore was not picked for Canada's Olympic team, but was on the preliminary 81-player eligibility list. No punishment was handed down because he is appealing the result to an arbitrator.

The positive test will not affect Theodore's status because the screening wasn't part of the NHL's new testing program. Theodore, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association also noted that the goaltender had admitted to using the hair-growth stimulant in applying for a therapeutic use exemption last year.

At Theodore's request, news of the player's positive test was released by the Canadiens, who held a news conference in Montreal before the game.

Team doctor David Mulder said he was aware Theodore was taking Propecia prior to when he was tested Dec. 12. A month later, the Hockey Canada doctor informed Mulder about Theodore's test result.

Propecia, Mulder said, was placed on the banned substance list about two years ago. Besides helping grow hair, it is considered a masking agent for other performance enhancers.

Mulder stressed that Propecia alone is not a performance enhancer.

He said he was "convinced" the goalie was not using the drug to mask the use of performance enhancers.

Last month, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Bryan Berard was suspended from international competition for two years after testing positive for a banned steroid. Berard didn't make the U.S. Olympic team. He also was not subject to league discipline.

Earlier Thursday, World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound repeated his criticism of the NHL's drug-testing program at a press conference in Turin, Italy.

The NHL introduced random tests for performance-enhancing drugs this season, but anti-doping authorities have attacked the plan as weak and ineffective.

"It amounts to practically nothing. There are no offseason tests. And you're not allowed to test a player after a game or before a game," Pound said.

Canadiens GM/coach Bob Gainey was impressed by Theodore's approach in addressing questions about his positive test firsthand.

"We were hoping it was going to be taken care of at this arbitration and it would disappear," Gainey said. "When it came out in the public domain, the decision to release the information that it was Jose Theodore was the best way to approach it."

Theodore laughed off questions about whether some might believe he might be using steroids.

"If you look at me with no shirt, if I'm taking steroids then I should change the guy that's selling them to me because it's not working," Theodore said, referring to his 5-foot-11, 182-pound frame.

Theodore noted he had never tested positive before despite competing in several international tournaments, including the World Cup of Hockey two years ago.

Theodore is 17-15 this season with a 3.46 goals-against average but has struggled over the last month and a half, with a 4-9 record and a 4.06 GAA.

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Associated Press Writer Phil Couvrette in Montreal contributed to this report.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index