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Ex-Bruin Kevin Stevens pleads guilty to federal drug charge

Kevin Stevens played with the Bruins in the 1995-96 seasonglobe file

Former Bruin Kevin Stevens pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of conspiring with another man to sell oxycodone.

Stevens, 51, of Pembroke, entered his plea in US District Court in Boston and remains free pending sentencing March 28, according to legal filings.

Prosecutors said Stevens and Christopher Alonardo, of Medford, were involved in a scheme to sell the painkiller from August 2015 through at least March 2016 in Braintree, Medford, Boston, Plymouth, and elsewhere. Alonardo’s case is pending.

Stevens was responsible for 175 pills containing 30 milligrams each of oxycodone, or the equivalent of about 35 kilograms of marijuana, according to a plea agreement filed with the court.

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His lawyer, Paul V. Kelly, said in an e-mail that Stevens pleaded guilty to put the matter behind him and “move on with his life.”

“Kevin has been battling an addiction to painkillers for many years,” Kelly wrote. “This illness is traceable to his playing days in the NHL and a very serious concussion that he sustained near the end of his career.

“In his effort to manage the pain from this injury, and from a neck injury suffered in an auto accident years later, Kevin fell under the grip of addictive pain medication. He has been clean and sober for many months now and is committed to beating his addiction and moving on with his life in a productive manner.”

The former NHL star faces a maximum prison term of 20 years, but prosecutors have agreed to recommend “incarceration at the low end” of sentencing guidelines, the plea agreement said.

Stevens was born in Brockton and raised in Pembroke, and had a lengthy pro career as a standout winger and forward, playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers, in addition to the Bruins. Before the NHL, Stevens was a star player at Boston College and represented the United States on the 1988 Olympic hockey team in Calgary.

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Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Travis Andersen of the Globe staff can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.