- P.K. Subban completed his $10 million pledge to the Montreal Children’s Hospital on Friday
- The donation is the largest by any pro athlete in Canadian history, helping roughly 100,000 kids
- Read below for the full donation details plus video of Subban speaking with the Montreal Gazette
P.K. Subban kept his word.
The former Montreal Canadiens defenseman has completed the $10 million pledge P.K. Subban made to the Montreal Children’s Hospital more than a decade ago. The hospital’s foundation made the announcement Friday, calling it the largest philanthropic commitment by a pro athlete in Canadian history.
Funds raised through Subban’s “Unexpected Ways to Heal” campaign have helped roughly 100,000 children since the pledge was first announced in September 2015. Subban was 26 years old and still in a Habs sweater when he stepped up.
Subban spoke with the Montreal Gazette on Friday ahead of the foundation’s gala that night. The Norris Trophy winner explained why he never wavered.
“Was there any doubt in my mind? No, because I made a commitment that I was always gonna follow through on,” Subban said.
Watch Subban discuss the milestone with the Gazette below:
The Canadiens traded Subban to the Nashville Predators less than a year after he announced the pledge. He kept fundraising anyway.
From Nashville, Subban moved on to New Jersey before retiring in 2022. The hospital visits and contributions never stopped along the way.
That’s the part that gets me. Plenty of athletes have pledged big numbers over the years. Following through over a decade, through a trade and a retirement, is a different kind of grind entirely.
Asked about the doubters who questioned whether a 26-year-old could pull off a $10 million promise, Subban didn’t hold back.
“For those doubters, I hope they believe in themselves,” Subban said. “Don’t doubt other people, just find that courage to believe in yourself, and believe that the impossible is possible, and we just proved that.”
He emphasized every dollar raised went straight to the kids. “One hundred per cent of what we’ve raised goes to the kids,” Subban said.
Foundation president Renée Vézina said Subban’s impact stretched well past the dollar figure.
“It remains the largest pledge by an athlete to date,” Vézina said. “But it’s much more than that, because when P.K. started to get involved, they kind of placed the Children’s back in people’s minds and in the heart of Quebecers.”
The respect for Subban poured in across the hockey world:
Subban will keep showing up at the hospital. Some commitments don’t expire when the contract does.
