The Rise of Sophomore Subban

It isn't very often a team picks a superstar defenseman in the 2nd round 43rd overall, but on June 23rd 2007 the Montreal Canadiens did exactly that when they selected PK Subban. Who would have thought on that fateful day that by now we already would have seen the great Subban in action. As the year progressed we only got to see more and more what a diamond in the rough this guy is. From getting under the skin of his opponents to playing an average of 28:51 of ice time a game in the playoffs, this guy truly is a warrior. He is exactly the type of player any team in the league needs to have but hates to play against. Unfortunately people seem to hate him an awful lot more than one would think. That's okay with me, it just tells me PK is doing his job in impeccable fashion.

(PK seen here at the draft after the selection, I bet Gainey doesn't regret this choice.)

Over the course of the year PK took a lot of heat around the league for different situations. Respected players like Mike Richards and Joffrey Lupul had a problem with PK and felt as a rookie he lacked respect for his opponents. PK was a class act in interviews and had nothing but praise for Mike, he even said he was a one of his idols growing up. There is also obvious bad blood between PK and the Bruins Brad Marchand, another solid NHL rookie who plays with an edge and seems to have a knack for getting under his opponents skin. One of the best hits of the year happened in a Boston versus Montreal game at the Bell center.
(Just to clarify something a friend brought it to my attention that Marchand and Subban are actually friends and ex junior Team Canada teammates. They are actually friendly off the ice so no bad blood there. Thanks to CrimsonSkorpion of HFBoards for bringing this to my attention. You can also follow his blog at http://hometownanalysis.blogspot.com)

(The hit that sent Marchand back to the bench in a hurry)

 It wasn't all big hits and big minutes for PK though. At a certain point he messed up a pass in overtime against one of the leagues bottom feeders in Edmonton. The resulting play had Dustin Penner in the slot to put away the overtime winner. A mistake by PK which led to a three game sit. A very controversial topic for fans and the media because many thought Subban shouldn't have been benched for one mistake, others thought it was fine, some thought it was too long. Everyone had their opinion but at the end of the day Subban came back and it was like a fire was ignited inside of him. From then on until the playoffs he played like a man not a rookie.

(The OT goal Penner ended up getting as a result of the PK error)

 Even in the post season a huge part of the reason they were able to give the Bruins such a tough time was PK Subban. There really is no denying this, the guy played over 30 minutes in some games and did so well. He even managed to get the tying goal in game 7 to bring Montreal into overtime and it was a beauty. It wasn't the goal that mattered so much as how great PK was at both ends, we wouldn't have been in game 7 overtime if it weren't for PK playing those minutes. It just would not have happened.

(This one needed a video. It was really a superb goal)

With all of this said Montreal managed to take the future Stanley Cup champions to the breaking point of game 7 and Subban had as much to do with that as the other superstar on the team did, you know who I mean. I'm very optimistic of what this team can do with Price and Subban given the way this team has played with a depleted roster. Don't worry habs fans, our time has come. We finally have the tools to be a cup winner. We will have to rest our faith in management to get things done but ultimately it's become evident no matter how many injuries we get having guys like Price and Subban on your team elevate you to the point of being able to win any game. It would be almost impossible for our coaching staff and management to mess that up.

With the way PK Subban has developed at every level I don't have a doubt in my mind that this guy will be one of the cornerstones of our team for a very long time. This is the beginning of a new era, the era where our youth takes us to the next level. Ladies and gentleman I present to you the rise of sophomore Subban, if my gut is right I think we're in for one hell of a season.