ALL THINGS P. K. SUBBAN
Habs defenceman launches website with big party
P. K. Subban Superstar.
Pernell Karl Subban is one of a kind. From the moment he first donned the Canadiens jersey during that unlikely playoff run in the spring of 2010, he’s stood out on the ice, with his speed, skill, and the kind of flamboyance that the Habs have rarely seen since the heyday of Guy Lafleur back in the 1970s.
But Subban is much more than simply a great hockey player. He also just might be the biggest star in the National Hockey League. He is the kind of larger- thanlife figure that you often find in other professional sports but is in woefully short supply in the oh- so- buttoned- down world of pro hockey.
He’s bigger than hockey. He’s bigger than the Montreal Canadiens. People who know nothing about the game know who Subban is. Some love him. Others hate him. But he doesn’t go unnoticed.
P. K.’ s motto could well be — Go big or go home.
He doesn’t just give to charity. He pledges to raise $ 10 million for the Montreal Children’s Hospital, what the hospital called the biggest philanthropic commitment by a Canadian athlete ever.
He doesn’t just launch his website. He throws a glitzy bash at a St.- Laurent Blvd. nightspot to promote the start of the site. The site is not just about hockey — with sections devoted to his philanthropy, his fashion and his businesses.
École Privée, a club that opened in July, was jam- packed Friday night for the launch party. Most there were friends and colleagues of the various partners involved in the website. His sisters Natasha and Natassia were on hand for the party, as were his parents. Canadiens owner Geoff Molson was also there.
But, as of 9: 30 p. m., none of his Canadiens teammates had swung by to show their support.
In an interview at the event, Subban admitted his big personality can create friction.
“Nothing great ever comes without a little adversity,” Subban said. “There might be people who look at what I do and they may not like it. But the fact of the matter is I’m going to continue to do what I think is right, not only for my fans but for the P. K. Subban brand and the game of hockey. As a player, along with the other 700- plus guys in the league, it’s our job to continue to help grow the game and put it in a better position for the next generation of players. And to do that, sometimes you have to change the game. That’s some- thing I trademark — changing the game, whether it’s philanthropic, whether it’s business, whether it’s how you play the game on the ice, or how you behave as a person, how you treat others.”
Personally I love what Subban brings to the rink and to the world outside the rink. He is running a one- man campaign to bring the NHL kicking- and-screaming into the 21st century. To make the league more fun and exciting.
But there are many that aren’t as impressed, starting with the hockey establishment. Broadcasters have blasted him for his over- exuberance, fans boo him in every arena except the Bell Centre, and even his own team has been lukewarm with gusts up to downright antagonistic on occasion.
That leads to the $ 72- million question ( the amount he’s set to receive over the course of his eight- year deal with the Habs) — is his super- sized personality too much for the notoriously conservative Montreal Canadiens? This is the team that’s made a habit of running superstars out of town, from Lafleur to Patrick Roy.
When he went on strike for a few games during contract negotiations at start of the 2012- 2013 season, a couple of his teammates publicly roasted him and during the lead- up to the last Winter Olympics, Habs coach Michel Therrien wasn’t particularly supportive of his star defenceman when controversy raged over whether Subban should be on the Canadian Olympic hockey team.
In the summer of 2014, contract negotiations with Subban bogged down and the case went to arbitration, something that’s unusual for a franchise player, and it was widely reported that after that hearing, Molson called Bergevin and told him to get their star signed.
The Habs are on the same page as him, insisted Subban.
“They’ve been completely supportive of everything I’ve done,” said Subban. “Geoff Molson, as the owner of the hockey club, made a significant commitment to me a year ago. He made me the highest paid player not only on the team but one of the highest paid players in the league, and the highest paid defenceman in the league. To answer your question there’s nothing better than to say that he’s here tonight. He’s showing the support right now.”
My gut feeling is that sometimes his teammates and team management are exasperated by the amount of space Subban takes. But at the end of the day, the man who signs the cheques, Molson, knows exactly what the Subbanator is worth to his franchise, both on and off the ice.
And the big boss is willing to let P. K. be P. K.