Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban -- and yeah, it still feels weird to type that -- never thought he’d play anywhere other than Montreal.
That was one of the major takeaways from Subban’s wide-ranging, two-part interview with Sportsnet, which aired on Tuesday. In it, Subban expressed how much he truly enjoyed his time playing for the Canadiens, but acknowledged that -- at the end of the day -- decisions made aren’t always about hockey.
“This is a business,” Subban told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. “We can’t forget that.”
Those sentiments echoed what the 27-year-old said in the immediate aftermath of a blockbuster deal that saw him go to Nashville in exchange for Shea Weber. Subban never directly came out and suggested any ill will towards the Montreal organization, but his comments were pointed nonetheless -- especially with regards to the business side of things.
“The Montreal Canadiens paid me a lot of money two years ago to do what I do for a living,” Subban said at the time, per TSN. “At the end of the day I just wanted to come in and do my job.
“But obviously right now I’m going to a team that wants me and the Montreal Canadiens felt that they had to take it down a different path.”
As for the Sportsnet interview, here were some of the key takeaways from part one of his first TV interview since the trade (the second part airs Wednesday evening):
-- Subban was effusive in his praise for the city of Montreal, and the fans. “I’m probably luckier than every player in the NHL. The connection I have with the fanbase and community here is unspeakable, really.”
-- He said it was a “dream come true” to play for the Habs, and bitterly disappointed that he couldn’t fulfill his promise of bringing a Stanley Cup to Montreal.
-- “My mentality is I’ve never had to be the guy that’s the center of attention, or has to be the front guy,” he said. “I have no problem doing my job and somebody else getting the credit, or the attention being on somebody else. There were times I probably wished there was more attention on my teammates.” Interesting.
-- Subban declined to address GM Marc Bergevin’s remarks that there’s a lot of things people don’t know about the situation that led to the trade for Weber. All Subban would say is he’s taken responsibility for mistakes he’s made, adding “at the end of the day, you’ve got to take the heat.”
There’s plenty more from the interview, which is definitely worth watching. Click here to view.