Frontenacs Pre-Game

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Owen Fletcher winner of the Canadian Tire "Win-a-spot-in-the-starting-line-up" contest, looks up at Darcy Greenaway of the Kingston Frontenacs, prior to the game against the Belleville Bulls Friday Feb. 10. Photo by Andre Lodder

De Ja Su

Published in The Pioneer on Feb. 14, 2012

Goaltender Malcolm Subban is back and so are the wins for the Belleville Bulls.

With the return of the top-ranked draft-eligible goaltender in North America, the Bulls have managed to get back in the win column after winning just one game in all of January.

Subban has been nursing a groin injury that he suffered on Dec. 29 and didn’t play a single game in January.

Since his return, Subban has gone 3-1 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

Subban made his first start on home ice since Dec. 17 in a 3-1 routing of the Guelph Storm on Saturday Feb. 10.

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Bull's goaltender Malcolm Subban makes a save in a 2-1 overtime thriller against the Kingston Frontenacs Friday Feb. 10. Subban has three wins and one loss since he returned from a groin injury suffered on December 29th. Photo by Andre Lodder

Following the game Subban said how happy he is to be back in the lineup and helping the team get into the playoffs.

“It feels really good to be honest, just being back here and supporting the team,” said Subban. “We’re all clicking right now, and we just need to keep it up for the playoffs.”

The only blemish on Subban’s record since his return came in a 9-0 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa 67’s on Sunday night. Subban let in three goals on 10 shots before being replaced in the first period by Charlie Graham.

Assistant coach Jake Grimes said he is confident Subban will get only better the more he plays.

“He’s still going to get a lot better than what you’ve seen in the last couple games. He’s still sort of on his way back to getting sharp,” said Grimes.

The Bulls have rallied behind Subban’s return, going 4-2 in the last six games.

While four wins and two losses isn’t anything to write home about, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a Bulls team that has struggled in the new year.

“I think we should be winning again. We should expect to. We’ve had some tough times with injuries almost all year,” said Grimes.

“Maybe we won a little more than we should have at the start of the year but that‘s the way it goes. We may have lost a little more than we should have recently, but it should even out. I think we’re on our way up now and we need to be.”

With only 16 games left in the season the Bulls currently sit ninth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference but are only one point out of a playoff spot, and only two points behind the sixth seeded Oshawa Generals.

With the regular season nearing its end, Subban’s return is a big boost for a Bulls team eager to make the playoffs.

“He’s one of the best goalies in the country, one of the best in the world for his age,” said Grimes.

“What can I say? He’s one of the most important guys on the team.”

The Bulls will try to redeem themselves Wednesday evening as they play host to the Ottawa 67’s after losing 9-0 in Ottawa on Sunday. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Yardmen Arena in Belleville.

All-Star Game? All-Star Lame.

Published in The Pioneer on Feb. 2, 2012 during my one-week tenure as editor.

What is an NHL All-Star?

In the world of sports, an all-star is someone who exemplifies the attitude and the skill level to perform at the top of his or her sport.

What’s an all-star game?

According to the NHL, it’s getting a bunch of guys who are paid enormous amounts of money to play a non-competitive game of shinny hockey.

Year after year, the all-star games become less and less interesting for fans. It might be because we’re getting older, but it’s probably because the non-competitive game itself is getting old.

The NHL does deserve some credit. They’ve been trying to improve the game for years. Most changes have been unsuccessful minor tweaks, but it’s the major changes that have hit the nail on the head.

For instance, back in 1990 they introduced the SuperSkills Competition. Today, the competition proves to be far more fascinating than the game it precedes. 

More recently, the NHL has changed the format on how the two teams are formed. Teams are no longer formed by the conference they represent, but rather chosen by a fantasy draft involving two captains, much like a game of shinny hockey on the pond.

The only downfall to the draft is that for a lot of fans, waiting to see who was picked last has probably become the most nail-biting part of the entire weekend.

It’s no secret something needs to change. It’s no wonder the Winter Classic, a regular-season game played outdoors, has surpassed the all-star game in popularity and it’s only been around for five years.

In fact, according to an ESPN article, ticket sales for the recent all-star game are about 50 percent cheaper than tickets to the Winter Classic, which was held on Jan. 2.

There have been a few suggestions surrounding the all-star game. Don Cherry gave his two cents during Coach’s Corner on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, suggesting the game be played outdoors and teams be chosen by the classic “stick toss.”

It’s true, combining the two events could prove interesting, but it won’t change the tempo of the game, and it won’t be long before the novelty runs out.

The bottom line is that the NHL needs to make the game more competitive. Sure, it’s nice to watch a player deke his way through a defenceman who’s not really trying and score a highlight-reel goal on a goalie who’s not really trying. But fans want to see competition.

The NHL should take a page from Major League Baseball. The MLB All-Star Game pits the American League against the National League with the winner getting home field advantage for the World Series.

The format gives players something to play for and makes the game competitive, which is exactly what fans want to see.

If these players are considered all-stars, then the league should let them play the game like all-stars. There’s enough shinny hockey being played at any local arena.