Subban comfortable in return to Montreal
MONTREAL — If P.K. Subban felt any awkwardness in returning to Montreal for a comedy show after being traded away in June, there was no trace of it.
“Not really because I don’t feel I was ( just) a hockey player in the city when I played here,” a relaxed and smiling Subban said as he met with reporters Monday ahead of the charity gala he was to host that night at the Just For Laughs festival.
The Montreal Canadiens shocked the hockey world and many of their fans June 29 when they sent Subban, perhaps their most popular player, to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber in a blockbuster swap of star defencemen.
Subban certainly was more than a hockey player during his seven seasons as a Canadien, when he became known as much for his high-energy personality, high profile on social media and charitable endeavours that included a pledge to raise $10 million for the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
The Toronto native agreed to host the closing gala at Just For Laughs before he was traded and wasn’t going to miss the chance to yuk it up on stage with several leading comedians. The 3,000-seat theatre was sold out, with proceeds going to the children’s hospital.
He gave no hint of what jokes he would tell, but had no plans to take shots at the team that traded him.
“If people are expecting me to come out and bash players or coaches or teammates, that’s not going to happen,” he said. “This is a fun way to celebrate giving back, and that’s what it is.”
Subban seems to be a natural born entertainer, not only in his flashy play on the ice. When he went to Nashville after the trade, he was filmed going onstage to sing a Johnny Cash tune in a karaoke bar.
“If you’d have asked me at the beginning of the year if I’d be singing on a stage in Nashville or hosting a charity comedy gala I’d have probably said no, but I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said. “But it’s all for a good cause. At the end of the day it’s about raising money for the children.”