Former player believes that PK Subban deserves to be in the hockey hall of fame

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Jeff Drouin
October 1, 2022 (2:25 PM)

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Since announcing his retirement at only 33 years old, P.K. Subban has been getting a lot of media attention, which is nothing new for him, you might say. Some Canadiens fans are wondering if the organization should retire his jersey.

It's not a bad idea, but considering the career of players who have had their jerseys retired, the chances of seeing a banner with the number 76 on it in the Bell Centre are pretty slim. You might say, but he still won a Norris trophy with the Habs. That's true, but Chris Chelios was also voted best defenseman in the NHL with the Habs and his number 24 still hasn't been retired.

But there's one former NHLer who goes even further than that. As reported by Olivier Paiement of Danslescoulisses.com, Paul Bissonnette, a former NHL tough guy, said that Subban deserves nothing less than a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Excuse me? Well, it's not just his accomplishments on the ice that prompted Bissonnette to mention all this, but also the impact he's had off the ice, as well as his post-career in the media world which is already well underway.

"Because of his impact off the ice and what he's going to continue to do for hockey, I don't think there's any doubt he'll be there."

Ok, Subban was for a period of time one of the best defensemen in the NHL with a Norris trophy, he was also a two-time finalist. Who doesn't remember his scintillating performance during the Habs' playoff run in 2014? But to say he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame seems a bit of a stretch, if you ask me. At least in the short to medium term.

After all, it's common to see some players being inducted into the Hall of Fame several years after their retirement, as was the case with Kevin Lowe and Guy Carbonneau in recent years.

Is this what could happen to P.K. Subban?

It's hard to say at this point, as other defensemen who have recently announced their retirement, Duncan Keith in particular, have a better chance of being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the near future. However, you never know, in 15 or 20 years, there might be a small place for a player who used to take a lot of hits.