Former NHL player Kevin Stevens has been sentenced to probation after conspiring with another man to sell oxycodone.
Stevens, 52, pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge in a Boston court in December.
Prosecutors had sought a one-year prison sentence for Stevens, but U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole Jr., noting Stevens' rehabilitation from a drug addiction, said "the risk of interrupting the progress that has been made is perhaps an unwise risk to take."
As a condition of his probation, Stevens must give motivational speeches about addiction and the dangers of prescription drugs. He also was fined $10,000.
"I wish it never happened," Stevens said in court Thursday. "It's something that hurts me. I hurt my family, my kids. I hurt my parents. I hurt everybody."
Prosecutors say Stevens and another man were involved in a scheme to sell the painkiller from August 2015 through at least March 2016 in several cities. A plea agreement says Stevens was responsible for 175 pills containing 30 milligrams each of oxycodone.
His attorney says Stevens has battled an addiction to painkillers for many years.
Stevens played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League, winning consecutive Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992.