It's hard to believe, but the National Hockey League player chosen as the best defenceman last year - a true, red-blooded Canadian (and a Canadien) - is not yet a lock for Canada's Olympic team roster.
The P.K. Subban affair is all the rage when it comes to hockey controversies, and we won't know how the final chapter plays out until the Olympic brass led by executive director Steve Yzerman and coach Mike Babcock announce the provisional roster on Dec. 31.
Subban, the flashy fourth-year defenceman with Montreal Canadiens, won the Norris Trophy last year largely on the strength of his offensive prowess; he led all NHL defencemen in scoring with 38 points in 42 games.
But while an NHL scoring champ would likely be an automatic selection for a forward position, and a Vezina-trophy winning goaltender would nearly be guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team, the polarizing Subban is apparently a 50-50 proposition to take part in the 2014 Olympics at Sochi.
Two reasons. For one, he is a right-hand shot, and two, he doesn't always take proper care of the puck in his own end.
Yzerman and Co. say they'd like a 50-50 split of left- and right-hand shooters on the blueline. That means Subban is not in a battle for one of seven or eight defensive positions on the team, but in a fight for one of four among those who shoot right. And there is stiff competition in that area: Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Kris Letang, Brent Seabrook and Alex Pietrangelo join Subban as contenders who shoot from the right side.
"Of the eight defencemen we have, I can't guarantee there will be four rights and four lefts," Yzerman told NHL.com. "But I do believe there are advantages of having rights play with lefts in a game. It won't be the final factor but it does come into our decision-making."
Subban's occasional carelessness with the puck might be a bigger factor. Over 82 regular-season games, he can cough it up occasionally and go on to score or set up enough goals to make up for his gaffes. In a short Olympic tournament, however, giveaways could be killers, and some NHL officials are leery of his cavalier play in his own end.
In the end, however, Subban will almost certainly be chosen for the team. Winning a Norris trophy is quite a credential to have on one's resume, and it would look even better with a gold medal hanging around it in Subban's trophy case.
Steve Simmons of SunMedia: "Heard a Scotty Bowman interview recently. He was asked who the second-best forward in the NHL was, behind Sidney Crosby. He answered something about Sweden having a terrific and deep defence for the Olympics."
Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald: "Renaldo Balkman has tattoos on each of his eyelids. The only thing left for NBA players to tattoo is their tonsils."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "The Heat's Shane Battier revealed his real surname was 'Battle' but was changed because of incorrect spelling on his birth certificate. I hear the same thing happened to the suspended Dolphins guard, Richie Incogidiot."
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Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on the reluctance of NBA general managers to sign Jason Collins, who came out as gay this summer, because of the supposed 'circus' it would create around their team: "Hey, owners and GMs: Branch Rickey just called. He offered to loan you some character."
Dickson again: "We've lost the true meaning of the holidays. Santa announced he won't be able to deliver all his gifts by Christmas Day because he's appearing at halftime of the Bulls-Nets game."
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: "Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant's nickname is Double D. Is it any wonder he found himself in another big Cup?"
A groaner from Currie: "An update on the hunter who shot at a moose but instead hit a 70-year-old man in a nearby house. The senior will recover; the hunter was charged with a moosedemeanour."
The late tight end Todd Christensen, to the Salt Lake Tribune, not impressed with his reputation as an intellectual among the rough-and-tumble Raiders: "Being a smart football player is like being a great surfer in Alaska."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "Alex Rodriguez stormed out of a hearing, saying that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig 'hates my guts.' Which is the first time Selig has ever been accused of having something in common with the typical baseball fan."
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: "Turns out A-Rod did not storm out of his arbitration meeting. It's the Fall; they threw him three pitches and he struck out."
