BOSTON — Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien knows what Boston Bruins fans can be like. He knows they’re passionate about their team, much like those who support the Habs. Therrien also knows that those people who directed hateful tweets at P.K. Subban earlier this week don’t represent B’s fans.
Therrien spoke to the media before Saturday afternoon’s second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series Game 2 between the B’s and Habs, and he made it clear that it was just a small number of people who attacked Subban via Twitter on Thursday night.
“It’s not about the fans. It’s a few people, you know?” Therrien said. “That’s too bad that I have to answer those questions about a few bad people. We’re not here to talk about those bad people. We’re here about competing. We’re here about playing the game. We’re here about selling the game. This is why we’re here — and having fun. And our focus is not on those types of things.”
Therrien was asked if he heard any of those remarks in TD Garden from the fans actually in the arena. He hasn’t, he said, and he knows that passion among the actual fanbases is something that comes with the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry.
“The fans in Boston are like the fans in Montreal. They have passion and that’s normal and that’s great. … It’s fun to be part of that.”
Therrien spoke with Subban on Friday night about the hateful tweets that came following the defenseman’s game-winning goal in double overtime in Game 1. According to Therrien, Subban — who spent Friday with family — is in a good place. Subban certainly won’t let the tweets bother him, either.
“Honestly, it doesn’t affect him,” Therrien said. “He’s got a lot of character, that kid. I wanted to make sure how he feel, I wanted to make sure (to give him support). But like he said, and from my standpoint too, that it’s more important that we’re here to sell the game, and we’re here to win a hockey game, we’re here to compete. We’re not here to talk about a few bad people that put something on the Internet. That’s the way it is. My focus is more about competing and making sure our team is ready.”
