Subban: Devils have 'one of the best environments I've ever been in'
The New Jersey Devils introduced star defenseman P.K. Subban at a press conference Thursday, and the 30-year-old couldn't hold back his enthusiasm in joining the club.
"I don't think I've been this excited for a training camp since my first one," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "I definitely have been in the league long enough now to know kind of what type of environment is a winning environment, and you hear it from players and hear it from coaches all the time, but I can definitely tell you this is one of the best environments I've ever been in."
Subban was welcomed to the stage with a loud applause from hundreds of season-ticket members, youth hockey players, and more.
He's here! And so are the #NJDevils fans! pic.twitter.com/5TE0apFDuf
- Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) July 25, 2019
The 2013 Norris Trophy winner was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators the day after the club selected blue-chip prospect Jack Hughes with the first overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft. As one of the more experienced players on a young Devils club, Subban is excited to take on a true veteran role for the first time in his career.
"Any way I can mentor and help the young players, I will," he said. "I'm going to be there for them as much as I can and I'm excited about that. This is probably one of the only times in my career where I've been in a situation where I have a lot more experience than some of the guys in the room, so I want to lean on coach (John) Hynes and some of the other veteran players to help me be that player."
Known as one of the more fashionable players in the NHL, Subban was gifted a Ric Flair-style red and white gown with his signature No. 76 on the back from Devils mascot NJ Devil.
Stylin' and profilin', #NJDevils PK Subban. pic.twitter.com/Z4dkt09w17
- Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) July 25, 2019
Subban ranks sixth among defenseman with 406 points this decade, but the three-time All-Star still believes his finest days are ahead of him.
"I still don't believe that I've played my best shift yet, or had my best period, my best game, or my best season," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Amanda Stein. "So, I try to inspire myself. Everybody has to work on themselves, no one is perfect. No one wakes up every morning and, you know, you have to love yourself but you also have to drive yourself from within."
Subban has laced up for 645 career games over 10 seasons between the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators.
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