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Montreal’s Subban denies spitting allegation

PK Subban

Thanks to a video making rounds on the YouTubes, Montreal’s PK Subban has been forced to answer questions about allegedly hocking phlegm at Rangers defense Michael Del Zotto.

The alleged incident occurred during the second period of Montreal’s 4-1 win Sunday night, shortly after Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty scored to make it 2-1. Based on the video, Del Zotto skated by the Habs bench and either 1) moved directly in the path of, or 2) was the intended target of Subban’s magic loogie.

Neither spitter nor spittee had much to say following the game.

“I know him,” Subban told Newsday. “I wasn’t spitting at anybody.”

Brian Wilde of CTV asked Subban about the incident postgame and that Subban was “surprised to be asked about it.”

As for Del Zotto?

“I don’t know what happened,” he told the New York Daily News. “I know [Subban] a little bit, not that we’re best friends or anything.

“I’m not sure if guys can believe it or not, but I know nothing about it.”

This is the third hockey-related spitting incident we’ve seen recently. Sean Avery allegedly spit at his coach in AHL Connecticut (he didn’t), Alex Ovechkin was accused of spitting at Derek Dorsett (Ovi claims he didn’t) and now this Subban-Del Zotto incident (which neither guy thinks was intentional.)

The moral of this story? Hockey players spit more than Johnny Rotten during his Sex Pistols days. With all that saliva flying around, there’s going to be some collateral damage.