The Montreal Canadiens have fond memories of all-star defenseman PK Subban, and he deservedly still gets an ovation at the Bell Centre.
PK Subban: "I want to see Montreal turn the corner"#GoHabsGo #Habs #thesickpodcast@tonymarinaro @PKSubban1 pic.twitter.com/yNm234RD0f
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) July 9, 2024
While Subban left Montreal in a trade for Shea Weber, he still has deep roots in Montreal. The city is a part of his past, but with his pledge to the Montreal Children's Hospital, he is always close by. Nashville and New Jersey played a part in his career, but there is still plenty of love for the team that drafted him in 2007.
Surely he didn't miss the Habs' success in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and the implosion after the team bowed out to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Carey Price and Weber played right until the end giving their all to try and write a Cinderella story. Montreal fell short, but Price and Weber's playing days were as good as done; after they left everything they had out on the ice.
Subban's high hopes for Montreal
Every Canadiens fan knows that the Habs are moving in the right direction, with every lesson playing a huge part in the growth of the team. Subban saw Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki play like veterans at such a young age in the cup finals. So it's unsurprising that he feels the two 'studs' will lead the Habs to the promised land.
1993 is getting older and older with each passing Cup final where an American team is crowned Stanley Cup champion. The Edmonton Oilers came pretty close, but the Florida Panthers and their stud goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky got the last laugh. Unfortunately, that means another season of the cup staying in the USA.
But Montreal is being built for the long haul - which is a big reason to be hopeful. Drafting has been rock solid, and while some of the dividends are still developing, the ultimate payoff is yet to be seen. But with Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton running things, Montreal is headed in the right direction.
Continuing to put the pieces together, without rushing anybody is going to prove important when the team reaches their window of contention. At both forward and on defence, there are some impressive pieces, some yet to play in the NHL and some established NHL players. While in goal, Samuel Montembeault is guarding the pipes, with Jacob Fowler looking like the goalie of the future.
Every NHL player dreams about raising the Stanley Cup over their head in celebration, and seeing Subban cheer from the pressbox would be a fun sight to see.