Former Montreal Canadiens blue liner PK Subban has announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 33.
The personable blue liner announced his retirement on social media Tuesday morning.
Originally drafted in the 2nd round (43rd overall) by the Habs in 2007, PK would spend the first 7 seasons of his NHL career in Montreal, capturing the Norris Trophy in 2012-13 along the way.
Subban was traded to Nashville as part of the Shea Weber deal, and enjoyed 3 productive seasons with the Predators before joining the Devils organization in 2019. For his career, PK finished with 467pts (115G, 352A) in 834 NHL contests.
He twice represented Canada at the World Juniors winning back to back gold medals in 2008 & 2009, and added an Olympic gold in 2014 in Sochi to his trophy case as well. In 2021-22 the Toronto, ON native was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, capping off a 13 season NHL career.
“I remember my dreams of playing in the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup, similar to the guys on the Don Cherry Rock’em Sock’em tapes at the end of every volume, with the black eyes, broken bones, and tears of joy. To this day, I still dream about it,” Subban wrote in a post on social media. “However, the end of this chapter is closing and after 13 years in the NHL, I have made the decision to retire.
“I never looked at myself or ever felt I was “just a hockey player.” I always looked at myself as a person who happened to play hockey. Having that perspective allowed me to enjoy every shift like it was my last, celebrate every goal with emotion, and play every game as if someone paid to watch me play who had never seen me play before.
“I want to thank my parents, Karl and Maria for literally being the best people I have ever met! I have been spoiled everyday with love and support from you, and I don’t know how to put into words how grateful I am for the sacrifices you guys have made for me. I’m so fortunate to have the best and most supportive brothers and sisters I could ask for.
“To all my fans that have supported me and continue to support me since the first day I stepped on to the ice, thank you! You picked me up when I was down, supported me through tough times and had my back through it all!
“To an amazing league that gave me the opportunity to compete at the highest level with some of the best athletes in the world. The NHL also provided me with a platform that allowed me to give back thru my charities. A sincere thank you to the many players that I either played with or competed against who brought out the best in me. A heartfelt appreciation to the Montreal Canadians, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils for each representing organizations with class and integrity.
“I look forward to the road ahead, and the many exciting opportunities to come. I’m excited to share what those are with you all when the time comes!
“With love, appreciation, and all the happiness I could ever hope for, P.K.”
Subban was coming off an 8 year, $72M ($9M AAV) contract following the 2021-22 NHL season. It’s widely speculated that the outspoken blueliner will have a career in broadcasting now that he’s made the decision to hang up his skates.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Lisa Gansky. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.