The Montreal Canadiens have announced the homecoming of one of the city’s most memorable players in recent history.
P.K. Subban will be back at the Bell Centre on Jan. 12, 2023, for a pre-game tribute in his honour.
The now-retired defenceman will also be available for a meet and greet with fans before the on-ice tribute and puck-drop against the Nashville Predators.
“We are thrilled to welcome P.K. back to his first NHL home this January,” said Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson, in a press release.
“We look forward to giving our fans a chance to celebrate his career and the impact he had – and continues to have – on the Montreal community.”
Subban was drafted 43rd in the 2007 NHL draft and spent more than half of his 13-year career with the Canadiens.
In his seven seasons as a Hab, Subban played 434 games racking up 63 goals and 278 points and adding another 38 points in 55 playoff games.
He also won the Norris Trophy dressed in the colours of the bleu, blanc, rouge in 2013. The trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League’s top defenceman.
Molson also talked about Subban’s enduring influence.
“Whether it’s kids on local minor hockey teams choosing to wear No. 76, or the number of fans we see on any given night at the Bell Centre who still proudly wear their Subban jerseys, you don’t have to go far to understand the influence P.K. had on the popularity of the sport in Quebec.”
But for many Montrealers, what set Subban apart was his unfailing involvement in the community.
After signing an eight-year, US$72-million contract with the club, he donated $10 million to Montreal Children’s Hospital in 2016.
Despite a bombshell trade that same year to the Nashville Predators, Subban continued his partnership with the hospital and to this day, he remains a spokesperson for the hospital foundation.
— With a file from Global News’ Gloria Henriquez