Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Malcolm Subban
Malcolm
Subban- The Middle One
There are
many sports fans in the Quinte area who keep a close watch on former
Belleville Bulls. For only one game in the 2009-2010 season, and for
only thirteen minutes, we had a look at Malcolm Subban.
The
following year, and for three years after that, Malcolm Subban was a
regular in the Belleville goal. Mind you, we had previously seen his
brother on many occasions. He now plays for the Nashville Predators,
following a stint with the Montreal Canadiens. He calls himself âPKâ.
And then we
got to host their younger brother, Jordan, in Belleville. Shortly
thereafter, the plug was pulled on the Belleville Bulls, and they
were relocated to Hamilton. Starting in November, there will be
another brand of exciting hockey at the Quinte Sports and Wellness
Centre, with the arrival of the Senators. But that is another story,
for a future column.
A couple of
weeks ago, Malcolm received a piece of good news. He had been picked
up on waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights. Mind you, they had an
excellent goaltender because they had selected the Penguins'
Marc-Andre Fleury, who had been unprotected when the Golden Knights
selected team members. Last Friday night, Fleury received a
concussion in a game against the Red Wings.
Subban got
the call to start on Sunday. He was directed to start against the
team that had originally drafted him, the Boston Bruins. Subban had
been with the Bruins organization for four seasons, but had only
played in two games for the Bruins. He had played 127 games for the
Providence Bruins. You might almost think he might have had something
to prove to the Bruins' management.
On Sunday
night, the Golden Knights defeated the Bruins 3-1. The Bruins' lone
marker was scored with just 30 seconds left in the third period, a
lucky goal that went in off the Vegas defender. The Knights had an
empty net goal at the end of the game. The Knights have an excellent
record for a new team in the league. Goaltending has played an
important part.
Naturally,
Subban was thrilled after his first NHL victory. He emphasized the
importance of focus in NHL games. But he also played really well,
cutting down angles, sneaking up to the edge of the crease for shots
from the blueline. He did not leave any sloppy rebounds for easy
goals. He earned the first star for the game.
He also
commented, âI am truly grateful for the opportunity to play here.â
Having chatted with Malcolm a few times when he was with the Bulls,
that is very typical. He is a modest, unassuming, relatively quiet
person. Somewhat different from his brother!
I am certain
that Malcolm would cherish the opportunity to stay with the parent
club. That remains to be seen. In the meantime, with a few games like
last Sunday's game, he will remain anNHLer.
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 7:29 PM 
