Milbury regrets calling Subban a clown, but wonders if he's a distraction
Former NHL player, coach, and general manager Mike Milbury has found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons over the years, be it for his questionable decisions while running the New York Islanders or for attacking a fan with a shoe as a member of the Boston Bruins.
Now an NBC analyst, Milbury attracted controversy again after calling Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban a clown for daring to do a little dance during warmups prior to Friday's Game 2 in St. Louis.
"When I see this I start to think maybe (Predators coach) Peter Laviolette ought to give him a rap on the head and say, 'Hey, P.K., we've got a game tonight, focus in. You don't need to be a clown out there,'" Milbury said, according to Joe Rexrode of The Tennessean. "And he will. He's been a clown in the past, and we've seen him act like a clown. When he's serious and focused, he's one hell of a player."
Milbury regrets using "rap on the head" and "clown," he told Rexrode on Monday, adding that he only meant to start a discussion about whether Subban was a distraction to his Predators teammates.
"This shouldn't be about 'Mike Milbury doesn't like P.K. Subban,'" he said. "This was just a question of, does behavior like this impact the rest of the team in a circumstance where it's pretty serious for everybody but you can get away with that attitude.
"I mean, God bless him. But the question, does it impact anybody else as a coach, does it distract, I think was legitimate. And that's what it was meant to be. It's turned into something far different, and that was not my intention."
Milbury admitted the traditional hockey establishment is rather conservative, and agreed with Rexrode's assertion that the sport needs more personality and character, but reiterated his concern.
"The game is supposed to be fun and I'm glad that P.K. Subban is part of the game. I'm glad he’s a personality," Milbury said. "I think it's wonderful that he has that kind of approach. At the risk of repeating myself, the only question was, does that distracting kind of behavior impact anyone else?"
Subban has recorded one goal and five assists in seven playoff games for the Predators, while Nashville has posted a record of 6-1 so far this postseason.