P.K. Subban OK With Role On Team Canada
It looks like P.K. Subban might be in the same position Drew Doughty was in four years ago in Vancouver.
In 2010, Doughty began the Olympic tournament on the outside looking in on Canada’s blue line. By the end of the tournament, he was playing an integral part and helped Canada lead Canada to the Gold Medal.
Subban finds himself in a similar position. In the two practices so far for Team Canada, Subban has been placed on the fourth pairing alongside the Vancouver Canucks’ Dan Hamhuis. If all the pairings stay the same, it looks like when Canada starts its tournament on Thursday, Subban will be in the press box.
You would understand if Subban wasn’t too happy with his spot. After all, he is a defenseman very confidant in his abilities and has been a big part of Team Canada before at the World Juniors. Subban is not looking at it that way.
"“Listen, I’m not going to spend any energy analyzing what’s going to happen in the tournament. I’m going to take whatever role I am given and excel at it. That’s your job as a pro. That’s your job as an Olympic hockey player and representing your country. As a citizen of Canada, that’s your job. It’s your duty to do that,”“I’m just excited that we’re only a couple of days away from starting the tournament. It’s probably going to fly by a lot quicker than we think so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”“Look at our team. We have so much talent and so many players who are capable of playing. It’s not a knock on anyone if they’re playing seven minutes a game, not playing at all or playing a lot. You’ve just got to have a positive attitude and go into it with a lot of energy and optimistic. That’s the way everybody is looking at it.”"
It looks like Subban understands that he is still a young defenseman and will have to earn his ice time. Who knows, maybe he’ll be to Canada in Sochi as what Doughty was to Canada in Vancouver. If he is, you can bet that he’ll be a very important part of Team Canada in 2018 if the NHL sends its players to South Korea.