POPSICLE BROTHERS REPORT #8

Michael Louis Ingram, Editor-in Chief and Gary Norris Gray-BASN-Newsroom -Staff Reporter

                                                 THE SUBBAN BROTHERS

                                                             BLACK ROYALTY

OAKLAND, CA.-The three Subban brothers could not satisfy their parent club needs so all three were sent packing to a better hockey story P.K. in Nashville, Malcolm in Vegas, and hopefully Jordan in Los Angeles. There is new royalty in the National Hockey League, Black royalty. Pernell Karl Sylvester Subban, Malcolm Subban, and little brother Jordan Carmichael Subban they are making their presence throughout the league.

All three brothers were traded from their original drafted team for various reasons but they continue to make a resounding statement, we are here to stay. All three Subban brothers played for very conservative organizations, Montreal, Boston, and Vancouver.

All three had to change their game and were not allowed to show their full unique personalities and flair. Black players have to continue to play under different rules which now includes hockey. Black players still have to be three times better than their counterparts to even step on the ice.

It did not matter to P.K. who kept being P.K. in Nashville last year, quiet Malcolm is slowly coming out of his shell in Vegas this year, hockey fans are all waiting for Jordan to shine in Los Angeles for the Kings.

All three brothers knew their position and helped their teams score with their fast streaking breakouts passes from their own zones to start rushes.

Black players from Asia, Europe, Canada, and the United States are changing the game. They are making the game faster with on ice skills, flare, emotion, and sprite, the Subban Brothers fit right in.

Last Friday night December 8 in Nashville it was the second battle of the Subban brothers, Malcolm beats P.K. 4-3 in overtime as Malcolm stops 44 Predator shots. Malcolm beat P.K. two years ago in Montreal in an exhibition game. The Vegas Golden Knights are currently on a four game winning streak, cementing their spot in first place in the Pacific Division.

P.K.’s Nashville Preds are not shabby either as they are in 2nd place in the Central Division winning four of the last five, their only loss to the Golden Knights and brother Malcolm.

Many hockey fans know and love the following siblings who played on the ice. Tony and Phil Esposito, Wayne and Brent Gretzky, The Sedin twins in Vancouver, Maurice and Henri Richard in Montreal, Frank and Peter Mahovlich in Montreal, Eric and Jordan Staal in Carolina, The Sutter Brothers in New York, Long Island, The Stastny Brothers, Bobby and Dennis Hull in Chicago.

The other Black hockey Brother siblings that cracked the ice were Chris and Anthony Stewart. Currently Chris plays for the Minnesota Wild while Anthony played for the Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Carolina Hurricanes.

As we move into the future another new Goal Brother tandem showed up. The Subban Brothers, they will change the game as many players before. Just as defenseman Bobby Orr-Boston Bruins changed the game in the sixties and early seventies. Orr was a scoring machine driving to the net from the defensive blue line position, something new in the NHL in that era.

P.K. and the modern day defensemen get involved with the offensive attack starting from their own goal line driving to the net. This is very different then in the past when defensemen waited at the blue line.

                        HOCKEY’S FIRST BLACK FAMILY

                                                  P.K.

P.K. Subban –Defense- Montreal Canadiens-Nashville Predators

P.K. is the elder statesmen and leads the way for his little brothers, the trailblazer making it easier for his brothers to follow.

P.K. was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round in 2007. He became the leading defensive scorer and won the Norris Trophy for the best defenseman of the year 2013. He became the emotional leader for the Habs but their was one problem he was from Toronto and he was not French Canadian.

P.K. did everything that was asked in 2013-14 season playing all 82 games and driving the Habs to the playoffs losing to the New York Rangers in the conference finals.

That year the Canadiens traded Captain Brian Gionta to the Buffalo Sabres in 2014 thus leaving the team position open.

Head coach Michel Therrine appointed four alternate team captains of which Subban named one. Everybody knew that P.K. earned the “C” on his sweater by his work on the ice, but every Montreal Canadien captain had been French Canadian.  At the same time the club and P.K. could not agree on the contract negations with a no trade clause.

The Montreal Canadiens happened to be one player away from a Stanley Cup Championship, their first since 1993. It did not happen.

The negotiations and Mr. Subban went south, literally as number 76 would wear a navy blue and gold Nashville Predator jersey in June 2016.

The Montreal Canadiens have yet to recover from the defensive loss of P.K. at the point, while the Nashville Predators entered the Stanley Cup finals against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Number 99 sparked hockey interest in the southwest, Mr. Excitement; P.K. Subban like Wayne Gretzky 30 years ago interjected hockey to the residents of the southeast.

MALCOLM

Malcolm Subban- Goaltender- Boston Bruins- Vegas Golden Knights

Malcolm plays my favorite position on the ice, goaltender. He is the middle Subban brother . He is the brother with the most body mass so he fits the position well. He is also the intense quite one with cat like moves in the net.

The Boston Bruins did not let Malcolm play that much in training camp the first year 2013-14 season. He was sent to the American Hockey League affiliate in Providence to get seasoned in net; it worked because the next time the Bruins called him up he played 14 minutes and stopped every shot.

He should have given Amtrak his first paycheck traveling back and forth between teams that year.

In 2015 he made his National Hockey league debut as a starter with the Boston Bruins against the St. Louis Blues but the nerves and his intensity got to him and he let in three of the first four shots. After the coach settled him down he returned to the game and played a great third period shutting down the Blues.

In 2016 Malcolm did not play much because of a serious injury missing 8 weeks with a fractured larynx. Upon returning in net for the Providence Bruins he had an outstanding year with 0.917 save percentage.

In the next year the new expansion team the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Malcolm off waivers. Malcolm is still considered to be a rookie because of the number of games played. He has one of the best starts in history 7-2 it would be much better if they counted the games he substituted for starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in October.

JORDAN

Jordan Subban-Defenseman Vancouver Canucks- Los Angeles Kings

The youngest Subban male Jordan Carmichael Subban also has two sisters who also play sports. Jordan constantly has to prove to his older brothers and sisters that he too can compete.

He was signed in the fourth round 115th in the overall draft in 2013 by the Vancouver Canucks organization at 5 feet 9 inches.  fits the mold of an NHL defenseman with speed and a large wing span. The Canucks organization sent him to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League to get experience. Jordan is another defenseman with scoring power, he has 77 points-27 goals and 50 assist in Utica.

Jordan played in the American Hockey League All Star Game this past January which resulted in a call up to the parent club in Vancouver where he sat on the bench most of the time. This is not good for defenseman as they need to play to improve their skating defensive skills.

The Vancouver Canucks finally traded Jordan to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Nic Dowd. The Canucks needed a center because Bo Horvat will be out for six weeks with a fractured foot.

Jordan will see more ice time in Southern California wearing the black and white of the Los Angeles Kings.

The new royal family are all in the Western Conference which will make the 2017-18 season interesting and fun to watch.

Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian, Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston, Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor Pad Network, Disabled Community Activist. Email at garyngray@blackathlete.com

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