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P.K. Subban seems OK with being a ‘villain’

P.K. Subban Alex Ovechkin

P.K. Subban Alex Ovechkin

AP

Some of the best stories in sports involve villains, real or perceived.

Hockey has a Claude Lemieux here and a Chris Pronger there, yet you don’t see a ton of players embracing that role. P.K. Subban didn’t outright say he strives to be the Joker to someone else’s Batman, but he didn’t deny that boos fuel his fire in an interesting interview with NHL.com.

“I’m not saying that I do. I’m not saying that I don’t,” Subban said with a grin. “But I don’t ask them to do that. When I go to Winnipeg, I don’t ask them to boo me. Philly, it’s the same thing. Pittsburgh, Toronto. I’m from Toronto; they still boo me.”

” ... Let’s just say it doesn’t bother me.”

For some players, silencing a hostile crowd can be almost as rewarding - maybe more rewarding - than bringing home fans to their feet. It doesn’t hurt that Subban, 25, has the skill to do so.

In fact, Subban thinks he’s playing the best hockey of his career, explaining how he’s learned when to be aggressive and when to take his foot off the gas.

Subban also compared his style to that of upcoming opponent and fellow blueline star Erik Karlsson, yet it wasn’t really juicy enough to be worth noting.

(Hey, give Subban some time to fully embrace this “villain” thing ...)