Morning Skate: NHL culture must embrace fun like P.K. Subban to survive

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Lace ‘em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

Two things happened this weekend that highlight one giant difference between the NHL and its fans.

As I mentioned on Friday when this all went down, the NHL’s culture tries so hard to suffocate the personality out of its players. Because it’s “how the game is played.”

I don’t think most fans want that “head-down, team-first, hockey robot” culture anymore. Look at how many fans from across the league got angry at NBC and supported Subban. Subban is adored because he’s such an infectious personality.

The NHL would be wise to capitalize and embrace the fun from its stars like the NBA does. It’s the only way it will survive.

Anyway. Dance on, P.K. Especially in the goal crease.

It kinda-sorta definitely looked like Milan Lucic tried to choke a Ducks player last night.

That’s your top three picks in the 2017 NHL draft after a stunning lottery draw over the weekend.

The Avalanche, after a historically awful season, fell to fourth. And their Twitter account had the most depressing meltdown ever.

Some lottery roundup from our network:

JG Pageau had one heck of a weekend. Maybe the Rangers let him score three goals because they were playing football in warmups and were unfocused, right guys?

What a weird weekend. Example: a SECOND PUCK was suspiciously hiding behind Braden Holtby’s net.

Oh, and David Perron almost got his face cut off by a skate blade.

Or actually kind of not. Nikita Kucherov called out teammates for dogging it last week and his Russian teammate didn’t disagree at all. Crisis averted?