From East To East

Published in The Pioneer Jan. 19, 2011

Ever heard of the East Coast bias? Sport leagues and media outlets are often accused of it, and often that’s because it exists.

It’s no secret, really. The concept involves organizations such as the National Hockey League and its media outlets having biased viewpoints in favour of eastern teams.

In a world where the dollar reigns supreme, the bias is almost justifiable.

There are a few variables that lead to this inequality, one of them being that the NHL is simply trying to make as much money as possible.

From the NHL’s standpoint, directing most of the attention to the eastern teams makes sense. More teams mean more fans, and more fans means more money.

Only eight of the 30 teams in the NHL lie in the west. With Winnipeg and Dallas being right in the middle, that leaves 20 teams in the east.

What the league’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, seemingly fails to recognize is that the western teams, specifically Canadian teams — the Oilers, Flames and Canucks — are like lotto tickets that always have the right numbers, a cash guarantee.

Bettman isn’t the only one who’s guilty of the bias — some western fans are also upset with how their teams have been represented in the media.

Media outlets such as NHL.com, the league’s official website, direct most of their attention towards eastern teams for the same reasons the NHL does — the fans.

For example, if it were up to the NHL.com analysts, the All-Star Game would be heavy with eastern players. One day prior to the actual selection for the All-Star Game, the analysts released their version of the roster and 61 per cent of it consisted of players representing eastern teams, including nine of their 12 selected defencemen.

It doesn’t stop with giving eastern teams more attention. Catering to the fans is understandable, but questions have been raised as to whether the NHL is swinging games to make them more entertaining.

John Tortorella, the coach of the New York Rangers was recently fined for accusations made toward the NHL and its referee’s for trying to extend the Winter Classic into overtime for entertainment purposes.

Tortorella later apologized and retracted those accusations but was still given a fine worth $30,000.

Despite what Bettman seems to think, the NHL’s focus should be on building the presence and appreciation for hockey in North America, not sacrificing the integrity of the NHL to make a good buck.

With the integrity of a national sports league in question, it might be time for the NHL to step back and evaluate its priorities.

Changing of the Guard

Published in The Pioneer Jan. 19, 2011.

With Malcom Subban still out with a groin injury and John Chartrand not at 100%, the Bulls have looked to goalie Charlie Graham to carry the load.

After being selected in the 7^th round, 125^th overall in the OHL priority draft, Graham was called up after posting a record of 9-4-0-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage with the Wellington Dukes.

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (14/1/12) - 16-year-old Charlie Graham makes a save against the Sudbury Wolves on Saturday January 15th 2012. Graham came into the game to relieve John Chartrand after he allowed 3 goals on 15 shots. The Bulls lost the game 5-3 and remain winless at home for the new year. Photo by Andre Lodder.

The 16-year old got his first OHL win on January 12 against Brampton, but has now gone 1-4-1-0 with a 3.48 GAA and .887 save percentage in five games with the Bulls.

Graham remains optimistic despite not putting up impressive numbers with the Bulls.

“I’m just looking to come to the rink every day, work as much as I can, and get in as many games as I can. I’m still the youngest goalie here so I still have a lot to prove, but just learning stuff with the goalie coach and improving my game is the biggest thing,” said Graham.

Although the goal was to make the Bulls all along, not many would have predicted Graham to take such a substantial role so soon.

“It was my goal to be on this team, but you can’t predict everything. With Malcolm going down recently it gave me the opportunity and that was unexpected. I was preparing to be up here but you never know what’s going to happen.”

The unexpected continues, as Graham has recently taken over the starting after it was reported on the Bulls website that Chartrand is also out with injury.

As a result the Bulls have called up another 16-year-old, Braydon Banitsiotis from the Hamilton Bulldog Midgets.

However, Banitsiotis might not be with the big club for long as it’s been reported that Subban could possibly make a return as soon as the weekend.

Subban’s return would be welcome. Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors, was the Bulls eighth loss in the nine games since Subban went down.

Long-time Bulls fan John Wilson, also known as the man with the cymbals, hopes Malcolm can return soon but is excited to see Graham in goal.

“Subban’s our main goalie and we hope he gets back soon, but having a guy like Charlie in goal is a plus. If he keeps playing the way he is, I expect we’ll see a lot more of him, and I hope we do,” said Wilson.

With Subban possibly making his return soon, Graham is taking every opportunity to prove he can be the team’s number one goaltender in the future.