P.K. Subban still has no explanation for why he was traded to the Nashville Predators, but he insists it doesn't bother him.

"I still have no idea why I'm not a Montreal Canadien, and quite frankly, I really don't care," the star defenseman told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap in an interview airing on "E:60" this Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski.

Subban also defended his exuberance on the ice.

"I'm going to come to the rink, I'm going to enjoy what I do, and if someone believes that I should come to work and not smile and not be myself, well I'm sorry, who are they to tell me how to live my life?" he said.

Subban's goal celebrations have been a source of controversy in a league that tends to discourage overt expressions of emotion, and the blue-liner told Schaap he doesn't intend to stop expressing himself.

He also made the case for individuality in a league with hundreds of players.

"There (are) over 700 players in the National Hockey League, and if all of them sound the same, to me, that's boring."

Based on the teaser quotes, Subban's full interview should be appointment viewing Sunday morning.

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With the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins set to square off in Game 7 on Thursday, we take a look at five incredible Game 7s over the past five years. One can only hope Thursday's tilt is as exciting as these historic contests.

Maple Leafs, Bruins (2013)

Venue: TD Garden
Round: First
Result: 5-4 Bruins (OT)
GWG: Patrice Bergeron

Leafs fans, look away.

This game will go down as the one of the greatest collapses/comebacks in playoff history. The Leafs led 2-1 heading into the third, thanks to two goals from Cody Franson. Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri each tallied a goal early in the third period to make it 4-1 Leafs. Game over, right? Wrong.

Ironically, current injured Maple Leaf Nathan Horton scored for the Bruins midway through the third. Milan Lucic notched one with less than two minutes to go, then Bergeron buried the equalizer. Six minutes into OT, Bergeron destroyed the hearts of Leafs fans everywhere. Here's the video to relive this historic game:

What often gets forgotten, but was arguably the turning point, was Matt Frattin's missed breakaway attempt with Toronto ahead 4-2.

Red Wings, Blackhawks (2013)

Venue: United Center
Round: Second
Result: 2-1 Blackhawks (OT)
GWG: Brent Seabrook

This Game 7 dates back to when Detroit was still in the Western Conference. Patrick Sharp opened the scoring early in the second period. Henrik Zetterberg responded less than 30 seconds into the third. Then, less than four minutes into overtime, Seabrook sniped home the game-winner as Chicago went on to win its second of three Stanley Cups in a six-year span.

Wild, Avalanche (2014)

Venue: Pepsi Center
Round: First
Result: 5-4 Wild (OT)
GWG: Nino Niederreiter

This Wild-Avalanche game was more back-and-forth than a ping pong match. The youthful Avs opened the scoring, but the teams would trade goals until Niederreiter's eventual game-winner off the post. Who can argue the excitement of a Game 7 with five goals after the second intermission?

Kings, Blackhawks (2014)

Venue: United Center
Round: Third
Result: 5-4 Kings (OT)
GWG: Alec Martinez

Hockey fans can only hope Thursday's Game 7 between Ottawa and Pittsburgh even comes close to resembling this tilt.

At this point in time, the Kings and Blackhawks were the previous two Stanley Cup champions. The two best set to meet in a Game 7 to head to the finals was awesome, but the fact that it was a high-scoring game that went to overtime was just pure gravy.

Rangers, Capitals (2015)

Venue: Madison Square Garden
Round: Second
Result: 2-1 Rangers (OT)
GWG: Derek Stepan

This game would mark the first of three consecutive playoff disappointments for the Washington Capitals. In their defense, the Rangers were the higher seed in this series. But considering the Capitals led the series 3-1 after four games, it will surely be viewed as one of their many missed opportunities. Here's Stepan's OT dagger:

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Every Game 7 is accompanied by a slew of statistics intended to add to the drama.

The winner-take-all contests aren't decided by numbers, but getting a sense of how the teams and their key players have performed in past Game 7s can provide insight into who's most likely to prevail.

Some numbers are more telling than others, but they all help paint the picture heading into the decisive game.

Here are 17 figures to keep in mind as the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to host the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night:

0

Number of times the Senators have won a Game 7 in their current incarnation's franchise history.

5

Game 7s played by Ottawa since re-entering the NHL in 1992-93.

7

Game 7s played by the Penguins at home after losing Game 6 on the road.

0

Wins by Pittsburgh in those games, according to Sportsnet.

9-7

The Penguins' all-time record in Game 7s.

3-7

Pittsburgh's record in Game 7s at home. Thursday's game will take place in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena.

8

Game 7s played by Penguins forward Carl Hagelin, who's won seven of them. Teammate Chris Kunitz has also appeared in eight, and he's 5-3, while Matt Cullen is 6-0.

No Senators player has taken part in more than the five Game 7s played by Derick Brassard and Chris Kelly.

5

Seasons since Ottawa last appeared in a Game 7. The New York Rangers eliminated the Senators with a 2-1 victory to close out their first-round series on April 26, 2012.

5

Players still on Ottawa's roster who played in that game - Craig Anderson, Erik Karlsson, Chris Neil, Zack Smith, and Kyle Turris.

3

Combined goals by Penguins forward Bryan Rust in his two Game 7s, including a double dip in the decisive contest of last year's Eastern Conference Final.

2

Combined goals scored by Senators forward Alex Burrows in three career Game 7s.

1

Game 7 victories by Senators head coach Guy Boucher in Pittsburgh, albeit accomplished in his rookie season as a head coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2011.

.583

All-time winning percentage for home teams in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1-1

Record for home teams in Game 7s this spring.

125-43

All-time record for the team that scores first in a Game 7.

40

Number of Game 7s that have gone to overtime out of 168 all-time winner-take-all games, or 23.8 percent.

20-20

Record for both home and road teams in Game 7s that have gone to overtime.

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Auston Matthews is giving new life to Mitch Marner's status as a meme.

Matthews changed his Twitter avatar to a Photoshopped shot of Marner boarding a school bus with some younger students.

(Courtesy: Twitter/@AM34)

The Marner portion of Matthews' avi is real, and it's a flipped version of the one posted by Postmedia's Mike Zeisberger at the airport Monday.

That shot turned Marner into a meme, as his facial expression was apparently too good for the internet to ignore.

There were many others, but this one apparently struck a chord with Matthews.

Now that the Leafs' best player has embraced the meme, it's clearly not going away anytime soon, and based on Marner's new cover photo on his own Twitter profile, he's getting on board himself.

(Courtesy: Twitter/@Marner93)

- With h/t to Rebecca Potter

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Do or die for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. It doesn't get much better than that.

Pittsburgh hosts Ottawa in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night. The Penguins are trying to make it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in their quest to repeat, while the Senators are looking to make their second final in club history (and win the franchise's first Cup).

Here's where things stand after six games:

What do you think?

Puck drop is shortly after 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBC in the north and NBCSN in the U.S.

Winner gets Nashville.

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Mike Yeo is bringing in a familiar face.

The St. Louis Blues named Darryl Sydor an assistant coach Wednesday, reuniting the former NHL defenseman with the Blues head coach, with whom he worked for five seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild.

It's a three-year deal for Sydor, who was an assistant with the Blues' former AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, last season.

Last week, the Blues opted not to renew the contracts of three assistants - Ray Bennett, Steve Thomas, and Rick Wilson - as well as that of goalie development coach Ty Conklin.

Yeo was promoted from associate to head coach in February, replacing the fired Ken Hitchcock, who later resurfaced with the Dallas Stars.

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Craig Cunningham is sticking with the Arizona Coyotes.

The club has signed the former player to a two-year contract to serve as a pro scout, as well as to assist in player development with the Coyotes' prospects.

"Craig was a smart, hard-working player with an incredible passion for the game," said general manager John Chayka. "We're confident that he will bring those same qualities to the Coyotes in his new role and that he will be an invaluable asset to our organization. We look forward to Craig helping us in several areas and are excited that he is staying with the club."

Cunningham's playing career was cut short as a result of a cardiac emergency prior to a Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) game on Nov. 19, 2016. Part of his left leg was subsequently amputated in order to ensure a full recovery.

"I'm very excited to begin the next chapter of my life with the Coyotes," said Cunningham. "I'm very grateful to John Chayka, (coach) Dave Tippett, the Coyotes and Roadrunners organizations, and all of the great fans across Arizona for the incredible support I've received over the past year. I'm looking forward to helping the Coyotes and I can't wait to get started in my new role."

Cunningham appeared in 63 NHL games as a member of the Coyotes and Boston Bruins.

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The Ottawa Senators are setting a trap.

Winger Clarke MacArthur made no bones about his team's gameplan heading into Game 7 against the Penguins in Pittsburgh:

Guy Boucher's Senators have become known for the successful, yet stale, 1-3-1 defensive scheme, a style of play that will be in full effect as Ottawa attempts to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2007.

Related - Malkin after Game 6 loss: 'We'll go back home and win the last one'

They'll need to mix in some offense at some point, however.

Through 18 playoff games, the Senators have allowed 47 goals against while scoring 45.

They'll be in tough to limit Pittsburgh once again, as the Penguins have registered a postseason-high 55 goals in 18 games.

Game 7 will be played Thursday.

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It's an Ottawa Senators supporter's worst nightmare: Game 7.

Tuesday was great; also bittersweet. The Sens refused to begin their offseason, forcing a deciding game in the Eastern Conference Final versus the Penguins in Pittsburgh. All that's on the line is the chance to play for the Stanley Cup. So, everything.

However, for Ottawa to advance and depose the defending champs, it must exorcise some major win-or-go-home demons. Thursday night will be the sixth Game 7 in franchise history, and the Senators are still searching for win No. 1. It's going to be agony - but hopefully the good kind, in the end.

Now, a couple of sentences from "Outline," an incredible novel by Rachel Cusk, come to mind:

It remains your truth, whatever has happened. Don't be afraid to look at it.

It's your history, Sens fans. It's made you who you are. You've got to own it. Let's take a walk down Game 7 memory lane.

And think of this way: Ottawa's due.

2012 vs. Rangers

It's been five years since the Senators bowed out of the postseason in seven games.

In 2012, in Paul MacLean's first season behind the bench, the Senators failed to convert a 3-2 series lead on home ice in the first round, instead heading back to Manhattan to play Game 7 against the New York Rangers.

While Craig Anderson made up for his terrible Game 6, stopping 27-of-29 shots, Henrik Lundqvist was opposite him. And you never want to be facing Henrik freakin' Lundqvist in a do-or-die game.

New York took a 2-1 decision, despite Ottawa's 55.3 possession advantage. It was classic Rangers hockey.

Five Senators remain from that last crushing defeat: Anderson, Erik Karlsson, Chris Neil, Zack Smith, and Kyle Turris.

2004 vs. Maple Leafs

The Senators were down 3-2 in the series but forced Game 7 in Toronto, winning Game 6 in double overtime on Mike Fisher's winner. Yeah, this was a long time ago.

This one still hurts, though, a lot, because it was The Patrik Lalime Game (or The Joe Nieuwendyk Game, if you're from Toronto).

Already down 1-0 early, Nieuwendyk beat Lalime with the softest of soft wrist shots from the left wing. You could have stopped it.

Then, with time just about up in the first period, Nieuwendyk did it again, almost from the same spot, this time beating Lalime five-hole, and - yes, right in that moment - ending the Senators' 102-point season.

Those have to be two of the softest goals ever scored in Game 7 history, and to this day, they remain difficult to watch. Lalime was pulled after 20 minutes. He made eight saves. Toronto won 4-1.

2003 vs. Devils

The 2003 Sens won 52 games, and their 113 points were enough to claim the Presidents' Trophy. Despite that success, their magical season came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final in Game 7 at home against the New Jersey Devils (who would go on to win the Cup).

This one hurt so bad because it was, essentially, an overtime loss, with Jeff Friesen scoring the winner in the third period with 2:14 to play. The Senators had erased a 3-1 series deficit to get to this heartbreaking point.

You can blame Lalime all you want, but it was really a defensive breakdown, as two Senators converged on the man with the puck on the rush while Friesen was allowed to go to the net.

One mistake is all it takes in Game 7.

2002 vs. Maple Leafs

Another 3-2 series lead was squandered - this time in the second round - including another blown 2-0 lead in Game 6 on home ice.

This was when Lalime's three-year Game 7 nightmare began: In Toronto, on April 14, 2002, in the first period, when Alexander Mogilny banked the game's opening goal off Sami Salo's skate and through Lalime's legs.

It was the game- and series-winning goal, of course.

The Senators finished with only 19 shots in a 3-0 loss.

1997 vs. Sabres

Close your eyes. You can still see the puck going off - going through, it seemed - Ron Tugnutt's glove and into the net in overtime of Game 7 in Buffalo. You can still see Tugnutt reaching back in vain, then letting go of his stick and clutching his own helmet with both hands.

Agonizing.

It was the Senators' first playoff berth since entering the league in 1992, and did it ever end in soul-crushing fashion.

It's been 20 years. And all streaks must come to an end.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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