It’s sometimes hard to separate fact from provocation with P.K. Subban, a high-energy mischief-maker.Sean Kilpatrick
Objectively, what we're talking about is an unremarkable pink plastic bottle, but it's also much more.
Hockey dressing rooms are places where no opportunity to needle, prank or deride a teammate shall be passed up, ever. So P.K. Subban had to know what was coming.
The 25-year-old Montreal Canadiens defenceman appeared on a much-beloved Sunday variety TV program this week and admitted to a distinctly unchivalrous on-ice tactic: Deliberately, er, opening the vents in the general direction of the opposing net.
"Somebody left me some Pepto-Bismol in the changing room," he said with a laugh on Tuesday.
It's sometimes hard to separate fact from provocation with Subban, a high-energy mischief-maker. Teammate Max Pacioretty indicated Subban often enjoys saying stuff for the sheer sport of it, although he added: "I asked him if that's also why he doesn't brush his teeth. He didn't think I was very funny."
When asked if his own goaltender should be concerned about misdirected outbreaks of flatulence, Subban joked "Carey [Price] knows I'm full of crap anyway."
As for opening night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Subban said: "I don't think Phil Kessel has to worry about that."
Seldom have proteins, carbohydrates and lots of coffee – Subban's pregame meal staples – been lumped into the category of performance-enhancing substances.
But hey, at least Subban made his admission to the 1.4 million viewers of Tout le monde en parle (the same night he also appeared on TVA's Le Banquier, the wildly popular French-language game show, which drew 1.9 million eyeballs).
The camera has always loved the irrepressible Subban and his outsized personality, and his recent uptick in popularity is nudging him further along a franchise-icon trajectory. Appearing on the two top-rated TV shows in Quebec the same night is a conspicuously rare feat. Subban is in demand and clearly has a sophisticated understanding of the cultural power structure in his adopted city.
In short, it's good to be P.K., and not just because of his new nine-year, $72-million (U.S.) contract.
If there was any doubt over his status as the team's most important skater, it has been conclusively dispelled. Coach Michel Therrien, criticized in some quarters last season for his reticence at using Subban in key defensive situations, made no secret Monday of the fact he intends to rely on his offensive dynamo to kill penalties on a regular basis.
"He will have more responsibilities," Therrien said.
Much will doubtless be written in the coming months about Subban – this is a player who always attracts attention, wanted and otherwise – but the team clearly feels he's ready for the next stage.
Formal recognition of his place in the Habs' pecking order, in the form of the "A" on his jersey, testifies to his maturation as a player and an off-ice draw.
Subban provides small glimpses of this in his public statements. In answer to a reporter about his general disposition at the outset of the season, he said, "I feel good," before swiftly adding "Sorry, we feel good, as a team."
The Toronto native already has a James Norris Memorial Trophy and an Olympic gold medal on his mantelpiece, but neither has diminished his appetite to win a Stanley Cup with the team he grew up rooting for.
Subban looked especially enthusiastic at the final practice before Wednesday's curtain-raiser in his hometown, although he batted away that characterization.
"I didn't know anybody was watching me," he cracked. "I didn't think I was extra giddy. I feel like myself … I think I've always been like that. I'm just excited to be playing in the NHL."
Perhaps on that one he can be taken at his word.