Two weeks from this Friday, the Boston Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens in the marquee event of the NHL regular season.
P.K. Subban cannot wait.
The Canadiens defenseman was a guest Wednesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Massarotti” show, and naturally, the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry was the primary topic of conversation.
“The city of Boston will always have a special place in my heart,” Subban said. “But every time I step on the ice at the TD Garden, I look to spoil the fun for the whole city.”
Subban’s next chance to ruin an afternoon for Bostonians won’t be at the Garden, but rather down the road at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and the venue for the 2016 Winter Classic. The stadium can seat more than 68,000 fans, the vast majority of whom likely will be booing Subban relentlessly on Jan. 1.
For him, that comes with the territory.
“It’s one of those things where it’s a lot of respect, as well,” Subban said. “For players that get booed, I think the majority of them anyway, and I’ve had to go my whole career understanding when I go into most NHL arenas everywhere, I’m going to be booed. It’s just something you get used to. I have no problem being that type of player that fans love to hate. At the end of the day, it just gets me going even more, and that’s the way I approach it.”
Subban also seized the opportunity to lob a shot at Bruins winger Brad Marchand, just for the sake of “trying to stir the pot a little bit.”
“Aw, Brad’s a great player,” he said. “He’s a great player and I’m sure he’s been one of the Bruins’ best players this season. He’s very impactful on the game. So as a player, definitely Brad is an impact player in the league and he is for that team.
“But when he’s playing against us and I’m on the ice, he’s not really a factor.”
Thumbnail photo via Eric Bolte/USA TODAY Sports Images
