PK Subban chose to leave the world of hockey in a slightly different way, at least for him: without making too much noise.
Posted at 9:23 a.m.
Updated at 9:58 a.m.
At the age of 33, the one who had been drafted by the Canadiens decided that hockey was no longer for him. Subban announced his retirement on Tuesday morning, with a message circulating on social media.
“This chapter is closing, and after 13 years in the NHL, I have made the decision to retire,” he wrote in a brief message.
Subban has had a career filled with ups and downs, with the highs mostly occurring from 2010 to 2016, when he was a member of the Canadiens.
It was while wearing the tricolor jersey that he had his best season, in 2014-15, collecting a total of 60 points, a career high for him. It was also with the Canadian that he collected the Norris trophy in 2013, awarded to the best defender in the league, an honor that no CH defender had obtained since Chris Chelios in 1989.
But friction with management, notably coach Michel Therrien, led to a spectacular trade with the Nashville Predators in June 2016. In return for Subban, the Canadian got another defender, Shea Weber, who would eventually help the club to reach the 2021 final.
Subban also led his club to the final in 2017, during his first season with the Predators. This series against the Pittsburgh Penguins was notably marked by a confrontation between him and Sidney Crosby.
Then it was a bit more difficult for the defender. After an 82-game season in 2017-18, he was unable to play full seasons for the next four years, often hampered by persistent back pain.
Last season, he had 22 points in 77 games with the New Jersey Devils, the final year of an eight-year contract signed by the Canadiens and general manager Marc Bergevin, for an average of 9 million dollars per season. He was still without a contract since the end of this agreement.
Subban, a second round pick of the Canadiens, the 43e overall in 2007, retired with 467 points in 834 NHL games.
PK Subban shouldn’t be bored. He was once a TV analyst for the ESPN network, and the NHL has also announced that he will have his own show, PK’s Place. Subban was also involved in several charities, including the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Blueline Buddies, an organization that aimed to bring different communities closer to police services.