Greater than a 12 months since taking part in his final NHL sport and retiring at age 33, P.K. Subban continues to be pushing himself away from the ice.
Certain, he’s nonetheless coaching and staying in form, however the 2013 Norris Trophy-winning defenseman is now engaged on pushing the limits on television.
“I don’t ever put limits on myself. I might counsel that the sport of hockey do the identical,” Subban stated. “I believe that there’s no limits on what we will do. The sport continues to be very younger when it comes to how we broadcast the sport and the way we do issues. I nonetheless assume there’s a variety of room for development.”
Subban’s newest foray is “P.K.’s Places,” a hockey present by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions for ESPN that places the Black former NHL star within the forefront as one of many faces of a sport desirous to embrace and present range to develop what has lengthy been a predominantly white viewers.
“It’s unbelievable, and I believe it actually reveals the dedication to range that ESPN and Disney and Omaha and the NHL has to essentially rising the sport and increasing the roots,” ESPN senior managing producer Lindsay Rovegno stated. “He’s a pure selection. He’s passionate, he’s excessive power, he’s enjoyable. It’s actually very clear that he desires to develop the sport and needs folks to see that there’s a historical past however there’s additionally a extremely enjoyable aspect to the game.”
Subban is having loads of enjoyable after hanging up his skates, and he hopes that comes by way of on the present, which launched Wednesday with the primary episode on ESPN+. He’s at peace along with his resolution to cease taking part in after 13 skilled seasons as a result of the proper state of affairs didn’t materialize to maintain chasing the Stanley Cup.
“Once I didn’t have a chance to play on a workforce that I assumed was the proper match to try this, it was a no brainer for me to go in a distinct path,” Subban stated. “The way in which I performed the sport was I give 150% each shift … I’ve that very same ardour that I had on the ice to convey it to media.”
Subban seems as much as Tremendous Bowl champion-turned-morning present character Michael Strahan when it comes to making a second stage of his profession and will get recommendation from the previous New York Giants defensive lineman about learn how to comply with his path. In hockey, there are additionally two outstanding former gamers who’re Black: Kevin Weekes, additionally at ESPN, and Anson Carter, who’s an analyst for Turner Sports activities.
Riffing with Manning and interviewing Ray Bourque about successful the Cup and celebrating in Boston takes Subban past simply the analyst realm and permits him to point out a few of the character that made him a star within the NHL from Montreal to Nashville to New Jersey for greater than a decade.
“He brings a recent perspective,” stated Rovegno, who has labored on the “Locations” franchise from its inception. “He brings not solely his expertise on the ice and kind of shares anecdotes from his time as a participant, however actually connects with the legends and is ready to dive into the historical past and share the eagerness that he has for the sport.”
Subban reached a take care of Omaha and ESPN earlier than retiring, and this present could be the beginning for him. Maybe a hockey model of Peyton and Eli’s “ManningCast” with brothers Malcolm and Jordan may very well be in retailer down the road.
“Perhaps that’s one thing that we’ll contemplate,” Subban stated. “To have the ability to do issues that possibly replicate the ‘ManningCast’ or another issues which can be being finished on broadcasts within the sports activities world can be one thing that might be big for hockey.”
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