from Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star,

This isn’t really a story about the media. On the morning of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, in which the Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to win a second straight Stanley Cup, Nashville’s P.K. Subban skated. The NHL’s media rules say if a player skates, he must be made available to the media. Reporters like talking to P.K. because he is one of the few hockey players who tries to entertain, who is not afraid to show his personality. Besides, Subban had not spoken since after Game 5, two days earlier. So, a ring of us waited for him. Standard issue.

Subban walked into the crowded dressing room and started towards the ring of media at his locker, and was heard to ask team PR director Kevin Wilson, “Do you want me to talk today?” Wilson directed Subban back out of the room for a moment, and then Subban walked through the room and didn’t stop.

The team’s explanation: Gosh, they had meant to make Subban available on Saturday, but dagnabbit, he slipped away before they could. And he had not spoken on the morning of a game all playoffs, so their hands were tied, see? Some falsehoods are barely worth telling, but there you are.

Again, this only seems like a media story. You would think a sport would want its biggest and most marketable stars to be front and centre at its showcase event, but hey, none of Pittsburgh’s best players have spoken on the morning of games all playoffs long. Putting your stars in front of cameras is, or should be, sports marketing 101.

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