December 2021
Sports
The Voyager 15
NHL’s toxicity on full display in Kyle Beach scandal By JOSEPH LOVERDI ‘22 Sports Editor
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normally hate the Chicago Blackhawks just because, well, they’re the Blackhawks. The Flyers fan in me hates them because of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, where their fairytale run to the final ended in a 6 game loss to Chicago; the Blues fan in me hates them because they’re our biggest rival. Yet the franchise has done something much more despicable than beat the two teams I like in the playoffs. A recent investigation conducted by law firm Jenner & Block found that the Blackhawks front office not only discussed the sexual assault of a player by video coach Brad Aldrich, but failed to do anything to protect that player. It also found that players knew about the assault and just didn’t do anything about it. The player in question is Kyle Beach, the 11th overall pick in the 2008 Draft. Beach was highly touted as a power forward coming out of the WHL, and soon began to flash signs of his potential in the AHL with Chicago’s affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. In May 2010, Beach was sexually assaulted by Aldrich, just before the Blackhawks would win the Stanley Cup. The assault, which Beach blames himself for to this day, led him down a spiral of substance abuse which ruined his young career. Beach was playing in Europe by 2014, and his NHL dream is now over at the age of 31. The entire Chicago Blackhawks organi-
zation, especially Stan Bowman, Al McIsaac, and Joel Quenneville, failed Kyle Beach. So did the NHLPA and Don Fehr, who turned their backs on Beach, failing to help him after he reported the assault to them in 2011. Current Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was a part of the aforementioned meeting, and was cleared by the NHL of any wrongdoing following an investigation as they claimed the thenassistant GM had no real power over the situation. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the team’s two best players, decided to speak on how good of a man Bowman was on October 28. They are LEADERS WITHIN THE TEAM, and they used a moment to show support to a horrible man who protected a serial sexual assaulter over a former teammate whose life was ruined by said assaulter. There has been some support, though. Beach named former teammates Nick Boynton and Brent Sopel as those who helped him and tried to get it fully investigated. Aly Raisman, one of America’s best gymnasts and a victim of Larry Nassar, has also voiced her support for Beach. Yet there have been no current NHL players to really speak out against this. Sure, current Blackhawks players Connor Murphy and Alex DeBrincat have agreed with the decision for those involved in the cover-up to leave, but no one outside of Taylor Hall, who called out hockey’s “old boys club” mentality in support of Beach, has really said anything regarding the scandal. The NHL’s handling of this has been awful as well. Gary Bettman’s recent pub-
Coach DeCoursey’s swim team looks to make a splash By MATT CHOWANSKY ‘22 Entertainment Editor
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hen Ms. DeCoursey first arrived at Eastern as a teacher, she was determined to get involved in the leadership of Eastern’s swim team. She has had a passion for swimming ever since she was a child, and her love for the sport continued to grow over the years. Now, Ms. DeCoursey, who is a teacher in the science department, has been coaching the swim team here at Eastern for a few years, with plenty of success to her name. Under Coach DeCoursey’s leadership, the swim team has accomplished things that were never before achieved under previous leadership. DeCoursey’s ability to coach and effectively communicate with her team is no doubt a contributing factor to her reputation as a great coach. There are lots of rewarding things that come out of coaching a sport; the sense of pride, the leadership, and the chance for hardware at season’s end are among them. However, the most rewarding thing for Ms. DeCoursey is seeing her swim team become a family. “Seeing students find a place to belong and come together as a team. Win or lose, knowing students have a sense of belong-
ing and have a place to enjoy themselves is definitely one of the best feelings ever,” she said. When Coach DeCoursey is not busy leading the swim team, she teaches over a hundred different students. It can be tough juggling the responsibilities of being Ms. DeCoursey during the day, and then swiftly transitioning to Coach DeCoursey. DeCoursey credits her two assistant coaches, Coach Murray and Coach Wojdon-Smith, who coach the girls’ and boys’ teams respectively. “We all help each other out and I know I can lean on them if I ever need to,” DeCoursey said. “Each of them has had to step up and run meets, or fill in to run a practice when I couldn’t be there.” Learning to let go of control is something that coaching the swim team for a long time has taught DeCoursey. “It’s not like other sports where you can sub a player if they’re tired or need a break. “Once the meet sheet is turned in, it’s up to the swimmers in the pool to do the rest,” the veteran coach said. “Not having the control to make switches can be hard, but I am learning to let go!” With DeCoursey, along with Coaches Murray and Wojdon-Smith at the helm of the swim team, there’s certainly nothing holding them back from greatness.
Senior Kat Gagnon, pictured in the 2020-2021 season, is one of the team captains this year. Photo courtesy of Eastern Yearbook
Former NHLer Kyle Beach, seen here playing for the Graz 99ers in Austria, was sexually assaulted by Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich in Photo Credit: Aliura 2010. lic statements defending the NHL’s deciIf you had any reason to dislike not only sion to fine Chicago a whopping $2 milChicago, but the NHL as a whole, you lion were flat out disheartening and leads do now. It’s clear the league doesn’t care me to believe that he’s no longer fit to run about sexual assault and helping victims; the National Hockey League; it’s like he’s rather it would protect those who comactively stifling league improvement. The mit such heinous acts and slap the teams NHL’s response to this was just completethat covered it up with a meager fine and ly baffling and in no way sufficient, leava verbal warning. Completely and utterly ing a stain on its public image that could shameful. take years to erase.
Flyers fire head coach Alain Vigneault in midst of losing streak
tenure started with a wild 7-5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, with 7 goals scored in the first period alone. This was a change that needed to be he Philadelphia Flyers were made. The Flyers have now lost tem hailed as potential playoff cangames in a row, ruining a fantastic start (8didates heading into the 2021-22 4-2) that had seen them fighting at the top NHL season. Rasmus Ristolainof the Metropolitan, arguably the toughen, Cam Atkinson, and Ryan Ellis were all est division in hockey alongside the Cenbrought in, and an already strong core of tral, where Sean Coutufour teams rier, Claude (St. Louis, Giroux, and Nashville, Carter Hart Wi n n i p e g , was in place Colorado) with a coachare separated ing staff led by 4 points. by Alain The Flyers Vi g n e a u l t , often looked who led the listless and Flyers to unable to the Eastern fight back Conference against far Semifinals better teams just two like Tampa, years ago. Carolina, However, and the New this season York Ranghas gone ers, which worse than shouldn’t be anyone has happening to ever imagined it, and Flyers coach Alain Vigneault was fired along- a team that supposedly with the side assistant Michel Therrien on December 6th, has a future Flyers sat at as the team was in the midst of a 10-game losing superstar 8-10-4, sev- streak. Photo from Getty Images goalie (Hart) enth in the and the best Metropolitan Division and having lost defensive center in the league (Couturier). seven in a row, a change needed to be Goaltending has been poor, as Hart and made. And it came the day of a game, no his backup Martin Jones let up 7 goals in less. back to back games. On December 6, GM Chuck Fletcher anOverall, it’s hard to see the Flyers making nounced that head coach Alain Vigneault the playoffs unless they get their heads and assistant coach Michel Therrien had straight. It’s been a tough season so far been fired following an embarrassing 7-1 and nothing’s gone right; it’s hard to see loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Yeo turning it around as the Flyers just former Blues and Wild head coach Mike keep losing, although they have won two Yeo, another one of Vigneault’s assisin a row with a big win against Vegas. tants, named interim coach. Yeo’s Flyers By JOSEPH LOVERDI ‘22 Sports Editor
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