VANCOUVER, BC -If there was a moment when P.K. Subban arrived in the collective mindset of his native Canada and its hockey mad population, it was 10 years ago at the World Junior Championship.
Flush with a roster that included future NHLers John Tavares, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Ellis, Subban helped Team Canada win its fifth straight gold medal at that event. That gold medal victory came with a victory over Sweden, a team that included Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman.
In that star-studded tournament - Hedman and Tavares were in an unofficial contest to see who would go No. 1 overall later that spring - it was Subban who stood out above everybody else. Then the property of the Montreal Canadiens, Subban even hugged Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk during the trophy presentation on the ice in Ottawa.
FEATURE: Devils Drawn to P.K.'s Enthusiasm for Hockey and Life
Ray Shero speaks about what P.K. Subban will be able to add to the Devils both on ice and off it
© John Russell