For Whom the Bell Tolls

The Mark Bell saga is finally over, our newspapers will no longer be flooded with repetitive stories speculating on how many games Bell would be gone for, as he has been suspended for fifteen games. Along with the fifteen games suspension, the former Ottawa 67 forward will also have to report to a substance abuse program. We should not that during this time Bell will be allowed to practice with the team.

Overall, the forward will miss a month and a half of game time and is scheduled to play his first game on October 13th. Bell is scheduled to make $2 million in the upcoming season which will now be cut by 18%.

Bell arrived in San Jose via a three-way trade that took place between Ottawa and Chicago. The former Blackhawk was expected to be a power forward and significantly benefit from playing on a line with Joe Thornton. Unfortunately, off-ice issues had an effect on Bell and he was not able to play up to his ability with San Jose. As a result the troubled forward was shipped off to Toronto this off-season in a questionable acquisition by Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr.

My take: Fifteen games is a fair amount to hand down to Bell. It is not overly excessive, yet, at the same time, not too light. This suspension sends a message to the players of the NHL that they will not only pay for their actions in court, but they will also lose their paycheque and miss valuable game time. Players now understand that being convicted of crimes not only hurts them, but also hurts the team. (Although if Wade Belak was convicted of drunk driving and was suspended for 15 games I don't think Leafs fans would mind.) If I were Bell, I would be upset about losing 15 games pay, but I would be more concerned about spending six months in a prison. Hopefully he will be able to clean himself up, devote himself to Jesus and return to the same form he showed when he scored 48 points for the Blackhawks in 2005-2006.

The NHL Enquirer

As I look at the headlines on hockey news sites all over the internet a common theme keeps popping up. With the preseason about to begin, training camp battles heating up and while some UFA's still remain unsigned, there is a great opportunity for some quality journalism. Alas, half of the headlines I see are regarding off ice activities. The Staal Brothers, Ray Emery, Mark Bell and Jay Bouwmeester are just some of the names currently in the news for the wrong reasons.

Until recently the NHL was known to be home to the "good guys" of sports, with athletes who are too humble for a good Chad Johnson like interview. Leagues like the NFL and the NBA are full of the "bad boys" who have tattoos, beat their wives and serve jail time. That is no longer the case, the media coverage has heightened and journalists will report on anything that is spicy and will get readers. Mark Bell has pulled a Mike Vick as the league has just suspended him indefinately. Jay Bouwmeester has done his best Leonard Little impression and been arrested for DUI. Ray Emery had a little road rage and Jordan Staal was caught for underage drinking (oh my god!!!!!).

While I am doing nothing to help the cause by writing about it, all of these incidents have sent a message out to the players that people are watching their every move. Even Ray Emery has acknowledged this by trading his Escalade in for something less flashy. I believe that true hockey fans have little consideration for off ice activities and care little for what type of alcohol Jordan Staal drank on the weekend or if Tie Domi is or isn't schtupping Belinda Stronach.

The newspapers are obsessed with showing the negative, blogs like Good News In Sports are dedicated not to showing the latest steroid scandal or DUI, but for showing the goodness that comes out of sports. Some recent events buried in the back pages are the Carolina Hurricanes annual 5k fun run or Ducks defensemen Joe Dipenta bringing the Stanley Cup to the chidlren's hospital. It would be a great change for sports instead of seeing Jay Bouwmeester trying to touch his nose with right hand in the newspaper, but Sidney Crosby delivering tickets to lucky Penguins fans

It could be just the off season, but once the season begins, it would be nice to get this bologna out of the papers.