People made a lot of P.K. Subban’s confident declaration that the Nashville Predators would win Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, particularly when the Predators followed through, riding the support of the incredible Nashville crowd to a dominant 5-1 victory.



Subban’s guarantee brought to mind another famous guarantee in NHL history: Mark Messier’s guarantee that the New York Rangers would win Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final over the New Jersey Devils.



Down 3-2 in the series, Messier told the New York Post, “We know we have to win it. We can win it and we are going to win it,” which the Post turned into the much pithier headline, “We’ll win tonight.”



Here’s the thing: Subban’s guarantee was far superior to Messier’s guarantee and should relegate Messier’s weak-sauce guarantee to the dustbin of history where it belongs.



To start off, Subban’s guarantee wasn’t just some off-the-cuff remark that needed to be refined by a newspaper writer into, “We’ll win tonight.” He also didn’t shy away from the statement in the slightest.



On Wednesday after Game 2, Subban told the media, “We don't lose in our building. So we're going back home, we're going to win the next game, and then we'll see what happens from there.”



On Thursday, he doubled down: “There's no question. We're going to win the next game and then we'll move forward.”



Messier didn’t have to face questions about his guarantee going into the game, but Subban did, and he didn’t back down.



In addition, Subban’s guarantee didn’t come in the Conference Final, the most meaningless Final in the NHL postseason, but in the Stanley Cup Final, when it matters most. Also, guaranteeing a win when you’re facing elimination? Weak. Everyone knows how hard it is for teams to close out a series. Guaranteeing a Game 3 victory is far more bold.



Subban made it all about the fans, saying, “We don’t lose in our building.” He knew the fan support would buoy his team’s efforts. It was a selfless declaration of confidence in those around him.



Meanwhile, Messier had to make it all about himself. Not only did he guarantee victory, but when the Devils went up 2-0, he had the gall to win the game single-handedly, scoring a hattrick and assisting on the only other goal the Rangers scored.



There’s only one word for that type of behaviour: selfish.



Subban, on the other hand, let Roman Josi take the spotlight, as the Swiss defenceman scored a goal and added two assists as the Predators pulled away from the Penguins in the second intermission. Perhaps it was Subban’s leadership showing through, handing Josi the baton so soon after Josi’s abilities were questioned in the media.



Messier took the spotlight himself, thereby denying a young Alexei Kovalev of his due. Did you know that Kovalev himself had a three-point night, scoring the Rangers’ first goal, then assisting on the second and third goals? No, you didn’t, because Messier, with his me-first attitude, hogged all the credit.



Is that why Kovalev became such an enigma as his career progressed? Because Messier showed by his actions that no matter how hard Kovalev tried, he would never get acknowledged? Really, it’s the only possible explanation.



Subban guaranteed victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions, a team led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. That takes real guts and courage, going out on a limb like that.



Messier? He only guaranteed victory over the blue collar New Jersey Devils, a team that had never even made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in their history, and had a rookie goaltender and a wet behind the ears head coach. Sure, that goaltender was Martin Brodeur and the coach was Jacques Lemaire, but still, guaranteeing victory over the Devils at that time wasn’t really making a bold statement.



But here’s the biggest reason why Subban’s guarantee was better: Messier only guaranteed one victory. Subban slyly guaranteed three.



Messier promised a Game 6 win and delivered, but left Game 7 up for grabs, like a chump.



Subban, on the other hand, said, “We don’t lose in our building.” He could not have been talking about the past, as the Predators lost a game in their building just last round to the Anaheim Ducks.



No, this was a prediction.



Subban was guaranteeing not just a Game 3 victory, but Game 4 and Game 6 victories as well. The Predators have delivered on two out of three guarantees so far, with Subban even laying his body on the line to block a Malkin shot and prevent a potential Penguins comeback. Selfless.



Any claims that I am biased because Mark Messier is the biggest heel in Vancouver sports history are outrageous. I will not stand for such vile accusations. I’m just saying that naming a leadership award after a guy who guaranteed one measly win is the worst thing the NHL has ever done.



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