Former Belleville Bull Subban receives invite from Team Canada

By Riley Maracle

P.K. Subban in his Team Canada jersey just after being invited to play for the country at the Olympic Games.

BELLEVILLE – For most young Canadians who play hockey it is a dream to one day have the opportunity to wear the Team Canada jersey. For some, that dream has come true.

On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced the roster that will be travelling to Sochi, Russia, in mid-February. And now that the selections have been made, the debate about who was left off and who was put on has begun among hockey fans.

One of the names that was highly debated was that of former Belleville Bulls defenceman P.K. Subban.

Now a member of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, the 24-year-old is the reigning holder of the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenceman in the NHL, and won two gold medals as a member of Team Canada in the world junior championships in 2008 and 2009. But many people still have questions about whether Subban is ready for a spot on the Olympic roster.

One of those people is lifelong Bulls fan Ken McDonald, a Belleville native who now lives in London, Ont. McDonald said he feels that the roster spot should have gone to another player.

“Only one player kind of sticks out to me – I think Kris Letang (a defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins) should have made the team,” said McDonald. “They’re both running for the same award, they both (had) roughly the same points last year, and they both have the same level of talent. I just think Letang can bring a better attitude to the team than Subban.”

McDonald said he thinks Subban needs to adjust his attitude before the Olympics.

“P.K.’s a great player. You can’t question any of his talent. I just think he has too big of an ego and he is too much of a flashy player and he doesn’t bring, I don’t think, what Canada wants to the team.”

Some people, on the other hand, feel that Subban was the right choice. Hockey fan Dawson Clatworthy, a Loyalist College student from the Ottawa area, said he thinks Subban is a good fit for the team.

“I think he should have made it, but I don’t he should be starting the games,” said Clatworthy. “If they need offence (from a defenceman), they should play him.”

Subban has a lot to offer, he added.

“If they need him to score a goal he can do that, and he can throw his big body around.”

Jack Miller, who as the radio broadcaster for the Bulls has spent quite a bit of time around Subban, agreed: “Anytime Canada is on the power play you’re going to see Subban there. That’s when he is at his best.”

Miller added that he, along with most Bulls fans, got a pretty good idea of Subban’s level of talent during his years here.

“I am sure there is a certain amount of pride, but a lot of fans I think will take it in stride and say that, ‘Yes, we remember him when he was a teenager and knew that someday he would probably make it.’ ”

Team Canada’s first game in Sochi is against Norway Feb. 13.