When he was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Nashville Predators, P.K. Subban was thrust into a new team and new system that would fit his playing style much better. He also comes to a city ready to embrace a true hockey superstar.
Moving from a French Canadian city in Montreal to a southern “It” city in Nashville is also going to be a big change for Subban in a number of different regards. Off the ice, Subban will find he has some new challenges to face, but also some very welcomed changes.
Here are some lifestyle changes Subban can expect in his first season:
No Income Tax
Once he officially starts making money in the state of Tennessee, Subban will see a huge tax break from his days with the Canadiens. In Quebec, the annual income tax rate for someone making over $102,040 is 25.75%, according to Revenu Québec. With Subban’s contract paying him $9 million per year (ignoring the large sums he probably makes from sponsorships and endorsements, like Samsung), he was paying roughly $2.3175 million in taxes per year.
In Nashville, he won’t have to worry about any of that, because Tennessee does not have an income tax. The state also repealed the “jock tax” that was collected from Predators and Memphis Grizzlies players in 2014. That’s a little bit more money (a max of $7,500 per year) staying in his pocket, until he goes shopping in Green Hills and discovers Tennessee’s 7% sales tax rate (with a max of 9.75%). $7,500 is a drop in the bucket, but he could park downtown at least two more times now.
Cheaper Real Estate
Nashville’s real estate market is booming, so Subban should have no problem finding a condo or house to live in right off the bat. On top of that, real estate in Nashville is slightly cheaper than in Montreal. According to the Canadian Press, the average resale price of a home in Montreal will be $353,000 Canadian in 2017, which is $274,000 in American dollars.
In Nashville, according to Zillow, the median home price single-family home during August was $253,000 and for a condominium, it was $189,900. That means Subban will be able to find very nice accommodations at a more affordable price. It seems like there’s a new condo complex going up every week, so it’s a great time to be entering the real estate market, especially with his salary.
Same Traffic
Subban may not have to adjust his game day commute schedule very much. Montreal’s traffic was rated fourth-worst in all of Canada in 2014, according to CTV News, with commuters losing an average of 21 minutes per day to traffic with two half-hour commutes. (Editor’s note: Montreal is ranked 3rd behind New York and Mexico City for rapid transit use in North America)
We all know Nashville’s new reputation for bad traffic. Music City’s traffic was ranked 19th-worst in the United States in 2015, according to The Tennessean. Commuters saw a 22% increase in extra travel time in Nashville.
I wonder how long it will take Subban to complain about traffic like a true local.
Less Intense Media Scrutiny
Nashville has grown into a robust and incredible hockey market over the past 20 years. However, Montreal, one of the original hockey markets, is on a whole different level. Montreal residents eat, sleep and breathe the Habs. As a result, the local media scrutinizes the team at a microscopic level.
In the 2015-16 NHL media guide, there are 17 Canadiens beat writers listed, and five team broadcasters. Meanwhile, the Predators list just one beat writer (none other than Mr. Adam Vingan) and two team broadcasters. Simply by the nature of the city, Subban will enjoy far less media scrutiny than he did in Montreal. That’s not to say the media coverage of the Predators in Nashville isn’t of a high quality; Montreal media coverage of the Canadiens is just on steroids relative to Nashville.
Hot Chicken
As much as Montrealers love their poutine, Nashvillians and tourists alike love their hot chicken even more.
Shoud Subban decide to sample Prince’s or Hattie B’s hot chicken, here are some bits of advice:
- No matter how much spice you think you can handle, order the mild or medium. (Editor’s note: Come on, Cutler, go hot!)
- Freeze your toilet paper. This is going to be a multi-day affair.
