Subban trying 'to have a little bit of fun' with Predators in playoffs

NASHVILLE -- P.K. Subban couldn't help but smile when the words were read back to him.
The Nashville Predators defenseman had just finished practice ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Winnipeg Jets, which will be at Bridgestone Arena on Friday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN360, TVAS), when he was brought back to his first experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Subban made his playoff debut for the Montreal Canadiens eight years ago Thursday, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals. Montreal would win that game and take the series in seven games, then defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a seven-game second-round series before falling in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final. In the hours before Game 3 against the Flyers, which would be his 14th career NHL game -- 12th in the playoffs -- he distilled his hockey life into two brief sentences.
RELATED: [Predators vs. Jets playoff preview | Complete Predators vs. Jets series coverage]
"I have no control over what the fans do or what the media say. I just do what I can -- go out there and play hockey and have a smile on my face when I do it, just try to have a little bit of fun," Subban, 20 at the time, said in May 2010.
On Thursday, hearing those words read back to him, it was clear to Subban that for all of the things that have changed in his life during the past eight years, the philosophy he spoke of then is precisely the same now.
"That's what I believed when I came into the League," Subban said. "And it's what I believe now."
He spoke with NHL.com on Thursday about his playoff debut, as well as Predators' chances of going back to the Stanley Cup Final and winning it all this season.
Game 1 against the Jets will be your 84th career playoff game. Eight years ago today, you were called up from Hamilton of the American Hockey League for your first NHL playoff game as an emergency replacement for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who was ill. No pressure, right? The season was on the line for the Canadiens. What do you remember about it?
"It was bang-bang, an elimination game in Montreal. My thought is, 'I don't know if we're going to win or lose or what's going to happen.' Obviously, I wanted to help the team win, so I just went in and played loose. I remember I got in and did my thing, [Mike] Cammalleri scored that goal from the half-wall, [goalie Jaroslav] Halak had an unbelievable game (53 saves in a 4-1 victory), and we went into Washington. I remember going to Verizon Center and [veteran Canadiens center] Glen Metropolit telling me, 'Well, kid, listen. You've got to enjoy these moments. You never know how many chances you're going to get.' We played such a solid road game. I remember Dominic Moore scoring the big goal at the end to ice it, Alex Ovechkin having a goal called back (early in the third period), then me and (fellow rookie) Tom Pyatt later in the locker room being like, 'Is this really happening? Did we just beat Ovechkin and the Capitals? Wow…'
"Then we go into Pittsburgh and I'm thinking, 'You're playing [Sidney] Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin. …' But I'm just feeling more and more comfortable and I'm saying, 'This is my chance to have a job in the NHL.' Then [defenseman] Hal [Gill] gets hurt, Spacek has some type of disease. Then [Andrei Markov] goes down with a blown knee [in the first period of Game 1 in Pittsburgh] and I just stepped in and said, 'You know what? I'm just going to play loose. The reality is, nobody is picking us to win. At the end of the day, I don't think I'll be crucified if I make a mistake.' So I played loose and played well. I took on the big minutes against guys like Crosby and Malkin, and we found a way to win.
"We shut down the Igloo (Mellon Arena, which closed after the Canadiens' seven-game series win) by knocking out the Penguins. Unbelievable."

You were excited about going to Washington for the first time in your life for Game 7 against the Capitals. You even joked, and I quote, "Who knows? Maybe Obama will show up." The U.S. president didn't, but Vice President Joe Biden did.
"And I remember sitting on a folding chair in the middle of the dressing room at Verizon Center because they didn't have room for my stall. Then sitting on a chair against a wall in our room at the Igloo that I had to get out of any time anyone wanted to go through the door."
Does all of this seem like it was eight years ago?
"No. No. That's a long time. That's a lot of hockey and a lot of life experiences. I look back at it and I think, 'Wow.' But by the same token, that run to me isn't the highlight of my NHL playoff career. I look at last year, going to the Stanley Cup Final here, as a highlight, and we're going to have another opportunity to make a highlight this playoff run. But in my opinion, the 2010 run is where I cemented my position in the NHL. It wasn't the year I won the Norris Trophy (2012-13). It's when they said I could play against Crosby and Malkin and Ovechkin in the 2010 playoffs.
"For me, that's where my confidence defensively comes. That's why there's never an excuse for me defensively. Every game, I expect to shut down the other team's top line because that's what I did when I was 20 years old."
Getting to the Stanley Cup Final last season against Pittsburgh … How much value can you and your teammates attach to having that experience as you hope to make a long run this season?
"Big time. We were all there last year. Every single guy, almost. I'm sitting here saying, we understand the feeling of what it was like, sitting in that locker room. I remember. I can't recall one guy who wasn't in tears [after losing Game 6 of the Final to Pittsburgh]. We know what's at stake. This year's first round (against the Colorado Avalanche) was kind of a pinch for us of, 'Hey, listen. Just because you were there last year doesn't mean you don't have to make the right steps now.' It's hard. But that's the best part about it. We look forward to it and we enjoy that. We're excited to get started [Friday against Winnipeg]."