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.

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.