Canadian sports doctor Anthony Galea has avoided prison time for bringing unapproved drugs into the States, as he was sentenced to time already served by a U.S. District Court in Buffalo on Friday.

Galea -- known for helping high-profile athletes including Tiger Woods and baseball star Alex Rodriguez back from injuries -- pleaded guilty in July to bringing mislabeled drugs across the border, among them human growth hormone.

Galea wasn't licensed to practice medicine in the U.S.

As part of the plea deal, Galea agreed to co-operate with investigators and disclose the identities of his patients and their treatments.

Investigators have determined that Galea was using the drugs for legitimate medical reasons and was not helping athletes cheat at their respective sports.

"The government is conceding that Dr. Galea was a doctor who was using the drugs, misbranding them improperly, importing them into the States, but it was all for healing," said CTV legal analyst Steven Skurka Friday morning on Canada AM.

In a letter to the judge, Galea has expressed his remorse for breaking U.S. laws.

"I truly regret my actions and can assure you that the past two years had had a profound and sobering impact on my life," Galea wrote in a letter sent to the federal judge Thursday.

Authorities began investigating Galea in September 2009, when his assistant was stopped at the border with a small amount of human growth hormone, vials of foreign homeopathic drugs and Actovegin, which is a calf's blood derivative that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Paul Melia, the president of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, said the investigation into Galea's work is part of a trend that has seen authorities look more closely at the relationships athletes have with their doctors and trainers.

"We're always very interested in looking up the supply chain when it comes to doping," Melia told CTV News Channel from Ottawa on Friday afternoon.

"And we've focused a lot of our efforts in the past on the athletes and now we really want to look at you know, the doctors, the trainers, where are these banned substances coming from, who is aiding and abetting."

Galea has received 122 letters of support, though the defence did not ask Galea's most famous patients to provide letters to the court.

However, Skurka said former Toronto Maple Leaf enforcer Tie Domi wrote a letter to the court, describing how Galea had once treated his young son.

Domi's letter "indicating that his son, Max, at a young age, was diagnosed and treated by Dr. Galea, successfully, for a hip fracture that he had," Skurka said.

Skurka said that Galea's lawyer has indicated he will seek to move his client to a Canadian prison if he is forced to serve time.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press