Kalman: Subban Already Endearing Himself To Bruins Fans
WILMINGTON (CBS) – Despite his relation to one of the Boston Bruins' biggest villains, Malcolm Subban has already endeared himself to Boston sports fans.
Just the mere act of getting drafted by the Bruins last week made brother PK Subban cry. Never mind that they were tears of joy streaming down the Montreal defenseman's face. So far Malcolm hasn't been caught during a public display of softness.
And head-to-head, the younger Subban has already been getting the better of his brother on the ice.
"Definitely me. He tries to come in and do his dekes, but his hands aren't good enough for me," Malcolm said Friday about his 1-on-1 battles with his brother. "His shot's the only thing that gets me, but I've been catching up with them."
If you can stop a PK Subban shot, you're probably on your way to an NHL career. That's what the Bruins are hoping now that they used the 24th overall pick on the goaltender and have started to give him a taste of the pro life during this weekend's development camp at Ristuccia Arena and around the Boston area.
While some might argue that being related to PK Subban brings with it no redeeming qualities, now and down the road the Bruins might benefit from knowledge that gets passed down sibling to sibling.
Read: More From Matt Kalman
"It's excellent," Malcolm said about having PK to lean on. "Some guys might take it for granted or something like that. But to be honest, it's a lot better than you'd think. You just get an actual little taste of it. Obviously you don't have the experience, but you just hear from him and you hear what goes on so you kind of have that perspective coming in. And you might be nervous but he always just tells me there's nothing to be nervous about and enjoy the experience."
Goaltenders take longer to develop, so Subban might not be truly in the Bruins' mix for two, three or even more years. He says he's going to work his hardest to speed up his development and also avoid he doesn't join Hannu Toivonen and Evgeni Ryabchikov as recent first-round goalie busts in Bruins history.
"Just because I've skated with a lot of [NHL] guys and I have a lot of the attributes to become a pro goalie. I know from just skating with them, and I think I'm getting better every day and improving," he said about fulfilling his first-round potential. "And I think that if I keep working hard, and I really want to play, I think that alone will help me get there. I've just got to do my part and work really hard to get ready for the opportunity when I get the chance."
And don't worry, Subban doesn't have to change any allegiances to fit into the Bruins scheme. His loyalties as a fan were always somewhat up for grabs despite his brother's presence in Montreal.
Listen: Subban On Gresh & Zo
"To be honest, I didn't hate [the Bruins] because I wasn't that big a Montreal fan," he explained. "Everyone always asks me if I was a big Montreal fan. I said no, not really. To be honest, I'd rather prefer the Leafs just because they're from my hometown and everything. So I was never really too big a Montreal fan. So I guess I have a reason to hate them now."
And the Bruins and their fans have a reason to love a Subban.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com. He operates TheBruinsBlog.net and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
