SPORTS

Predators see fit with P.K. Subban's personality

Adam Vingan
avingan@tennessean.com
The defenseman's persona is "probably the biggest" that the Predators have ever had, GM David Poile says.

In a sport that tends to discourage individuality, P.K. Subban is hockey's outspoken star.

That is what has made him one of the NHL's most visible players. It's also what may have compelled the Canadiens to trade the defenseman to the Predators on June 29.

Subban's immense popularity and showmanship regularly appeared to clash with the century-old Canadiens' buttoned-down approach. Any apparent conflicts that arose were magnified by being in hockey-mad Montreal, home to an obsessively loyal fan base and large media contingent that detailed his every move.

Subban soon will move to Nashville, where he and the Predators should be under a significantly less harsh microscope on a day-to-day basis.

"I think there's just less distractions," Subban said of his expectations of playing in Nashville. "I think in Montreal, things can become distractions for a team, and for us, I think that here, there's going to be less distractions for sure."

Although Subban may be subject to less scrutiny in Nashville, there is still the question of how he will mesh with the rest of the Predators locker room.

In regards to personality, Shea Weber, whom the Predators shipped to the Canadiens in the trade, is in many ways the antithesis of Subban. Aware that his liveliness can attract a lot of attention, Subban directs that attention toward his teammates, crediting them for his and the team's success.

During an interview with Sportsnet conducted before Subban visited Nashville last week, he addressed the perception that his personality negatively affected his relationships with former teammates.

"With the guys that I'm with every day, that I travel with, that I play with, we're all different," Subban said. "At the end of the day, I'd like to hope that these guys respect me and I respect them. That's really what it's been built on. ... It's all about your attitude and what you do. At the end of the day, I've always been team-first."

The Predators never have had a player with such a persona, with general manager David Poile saying that Subban's is "probably the biggest" in the team's history. Subban has already connected with several of his new teammates, who are unconcerned about his addition into their mix.

“I think his personality’s very outgoing, a very personable guy, but I think he’s genuine in that," Predators center Mike Fisher said. "He’s definitely different than Shea in that respect, but I think he’s going to fit in great. ... I think we’ve got a good group of guys that he’s going to fit in really good with. He knows some players that he’s already played with in the past a little bit.

"I think he’s going to fit in just fine. That’s the least of our worries. I think he’s a good person. We’re all excited."

Subban doesn't see himself solely as a hockey player, but also a person with diverse interests who happens to make a living playing the sport. He will bring an electrifying element to the Predators' high-speed offense, a brand that will spread throughout Nashville and potentially more eyes to the franchise than ever before.

The Predators understood all of that when they made the trade. They wanted it.

“I told him the same thing — I traded for P.K. Subban, the player and the person," Poile said. "I could say there’s going to be things that we’re going to find out about him as a player that he can do or can’t do or other things that will come up over time, but I don’t want him to change. We want different players.

"I guess sometimes whether it be a team or a business or whatever walk of life you’re in, you want everybody to sort of march to the same beat. We don’t want that. We can’t win with 20 players that are exactly the same, either skill-wise or personality-wise. I want different types of players and I want different personalities.”

Reach Adam Vingan on Twitter @AdamVingan.