NHL BATTLES AIDS FEARS AMONG PLAYERS.

Byline: Rick Westhead Bloomberg News

Washington Capitals left wing Chris Simon isn't afraid of much. He'll readily dive into the path of a 90 mph slap shot and routinely fight the nastiest players in hockey.

Yet there is one subject that petrifies the long-haired 25-year-old: HIV. He said he'd refuse to fight anyone with the virus.

``I'd skate the other way,'' Simon said. ``Change up the lines, no way I'm fighting someone with HIV or AIDS.''

While the National Hockey League is the only major sport that accepts fighting as an integral part of its game, some players said the league hasn't done enough to protect players from others who might be HIV-positive. The league said it can't do more.

``You can't stop someone from engaging in their employment simply because they are HIV-positive, and that includes professional athletes,'' said Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Even though the number of deaths attributed to AIDS dropped last year, the disease remains the second-leading cause of death among people between the ages of 25-44, behind accidents. In 1996, the number of U.S. AIDS deaths dropped to 39,200 from 50,700 the year before, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The National Basketball Association came up with its policy after Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV. While testing isn't mandatory, the league requires players who are bleeding to leave the game until the wound is bandaged.

Neither the National Football League nor Major League Baseball requires players with bleeding injuries to leave games. Both offer voluntary testing.

The NHL Players' Association said mandatory tests would have to be part of the collective bargaining agreement. It's not in the current contract, which expires in 2004.

The NHL's policy focuses on education, Bettman said. It also requires teams to offer confidential AIDS tests.

``The legalities do not permit you to simply say we are testing everyone for HIV and we are banning anyone who might be HIV positive,'' Bettman said. ``It just doesn't work that way.''

If a player wants to be tested and if he wants counseling, both are available, the commissioner said.

That's not good enough for some players.

Ryan VandenBussche, one of the New York Rangers whose primary job is roughing up anyone who roughs up Wayne Gretzky, was involved in a bloody preseason fight with Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Nick Kypreos.

``It should be mandatory to have an AIDS test every year at training camp,'' VandenBussche said. ``There's a lot of blood exchanged when you're scrappin'. Just shaking hands at the end of a game, even a teammate's hand, they could have a cut.''

Not all NHL players are as concerned as Simon and VandenBussche. Tie Domi, a Maple Leafs' right wing who has built his eight-year NHL career on brawling, said he wouldn't hesitate fighting someone that's HIV-positive.

``If a guy is still in the league, it's still my job to fight him,'' Domi said. ``Do I think players with HIV should be allowed? It's not my decision. I'm just a player.''

While Domi isn't concerned, other are -- and that's understandable, said Brian Shaw, a psychologist at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Shaw helped the NHL and the NHL Players' Association develop its HIV policy.

``This is always an issue when a virus is life threatening,'' Shaw said. ``The end result is the players want to maximize their safety in the workplace.''

Shaw said the league's doctors have given seminars to all its teams. Some players, Shaw said, have come forward for individual counseling, although he wouldn't say how many.

He said the risk for contracting the virus during a hockey game is relatively low.

``People bleed out, they don't suck blood into their system,'' he said. ``Also, the blood requires some period of exposure to the infected person. You don't really get that on the ice. The chances of a professional hockey player contracting HIV through contact during a fight is extremely low, less than one percent.

``It is not zero percent.''

Kris King, a Maple Leafs' forward, said that's should be enough of a chance to make testing mandatory.