Finally, they had him on the air, which meant the radio hosts finally had the chance to ask P.K. Subban the question that had all of Montreal on edge: 'This city is kind of holding its breath right now ...'
It was closing in on 11 a.m., and P.K. Subban had already been going for more than five hours. The Montreal Canadiens defenceman made appearances on television - including a 24-hour news channel, a business news channel and a morning variety show - as well as on radio. Before submitting to one final interview, he wanted to eat.
'Can I have my food?' Subban wailed in faux anguish, banging on the glass window of a boardroom in downtown Toronto on Tuesday. His lunch was waiting inside, consisting of steak, scrambled eggs, red peppers and asparagus spread over two dinner plates.
'Above-ground vegetables,' he said. 'Anything that runs, flies and swims, you can eat.'
Subban seems like he has been on the move since the end of the playoffs.
'OK, well you can tell 'em to relax,' the Canadiens defenceman said on Thursday. 'I shaved my back yesterday. I no longer have hair on my back. It's OK. My back is smooth. No problem. Is that what you were going to ask me? Are people worried about the hair I've got growing on my back?'
The hosts laughed.
While still useful information, it was not an answer to the big question. Subban appeared on TSN Radio 690 on Thursday as speculation (and, in Montreal, anxiety) spread over his future in the city. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent with an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday.
According to a report in The Hockey News, Subban is seeking a one-year deal worth US$8.5-million, while the Canadiens tendered an offer of US$5.25-million. That gap, and the adversarial nature of arbitration hearings, has fans on edge. If the two sides end up in arbitration, the one-year deal means they will risk having to repeat the process again next summer.
As such, every word has been analyzed, every move monitored. On Thursday, Subban was on the phone during a public appearance, setting social media alight.
'I was on the phone, but I was on the phone with my mom,' he told TSN Radio. 'I made bison burgers this morning ... I left the grill on. So she was calling me to tell me that I almost burnt the house down. So that's why she was calling me.'
Subban had been scheduled to appear on the radio at 12:10 p.m. local time, but had to move it back a few minutes. He offered an explanation.
'I had these chicken wings last night, with the hot sauce, and I spent a little bit more time in the washroom than I had planned,' he told the station. 'I don't know what the craze is about, but everybody's just got to chill out.
'As Carey Price said: Just chill out.'
So, finally, what about those negotiations?
'When it comes to negotiation, I let my agent take care of that,' Subban told the station. 'Obviously, I've been adamant, and I've repeated it many times ... about how I feel about the province, the team and the organization. It's all been consistent. So there's no reason for anybody to think that has changed.
'But in terms of a negotiation, this is business now. This is not just about P.K. as a hockey player. This is business between what's best for P.K. and what's best for the organization. And it's been mutual respect on both sides.'
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/07/31/canadiens-p-k-subban-on-the-anxiety-over-his-future-in-montreal-everybodys-just-got-to-chill-out/
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