Nashville, rejoice in a player that just came to your town.
The hype around defenseman P.K. Subban has been amazing, even a little too much at times. But it’s gestures like this that truly give you a picture of what’s in store.
A Montreal Canadiens season ticket holder took out a full-page ad in the Montreal Gazette this morning — opening night for the Habs — and shared his feelings on the Subban-for-Shea Weber trade. Per Steve Rukavina of CBC, that full-page ad in the Gazette could have cost in the neighborhood of $20,000.
Read every word. It’s extremely powerful.
It’s tough to read in a picture so we’ve transcribed it for you below in full. You’re welcome.
Thank you, Pernell Karl Subban, for your time as a Montreal Canadien. I am a season ticket holder and lifelong fan. I grew up on the Prairies watching and falling in love with Canadiens hockey, and all the great players on the dynasty teams of the ’70s. I truly thought that my love for the Habs was forever. I could not imagine an event that would change that..But this trade has made me feel different. Now, I feel anger, disappointment and embarrassment over the treatment of P.K. Subban by team management: the same sentiments that many fans felt after the Patrick Roy trade.
As a player, P.K., you are amazing. You brought us out of our seats, and were consistently one of our best players. You played your best hockey in the biggest games, a true sign of a champion. You were all anyone could ask for. You understood what it meant to be a Montreal Canadien and treated the jersey, franchise, fans, sport of hockey, city of Montreal and country of Canada with respect.
But as great as you are on the ice, it pales in comparison to the young man you are.
P.K., you are an amazing hockey talent, and an even more amazing individual. As a parent, I know the importance of role models for children; I want my children to grow up to be healthy, functioning young men and women who work and contribute to society. You display these qualities as well as any young man I have seen in my lifetime. You are an amazing and influential role model for my children and I am going to miss not having you as a Montreal Canadien.
While my best wishes remain with the 2016-17 Montreal Canadiens players and their families, my season tickets for this year remain unopened. My family and I will only be attending one home game this season, on March 2, 2017 — when Nashville visits Montreal..This season, more than any I can recall, supporting the Montreal Canadiens organization means supporting the decisions that have been made by our general manager and coach. I do not, and will not, support Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien. And make no mistake, my fellow fans: attending games at the Bell Centre is a vote of confidence in their leadership. In the near future, I will be announcing an initiative in this regard, and will be asking my fellow Habs fans for their help and participation..In the meantime, P.K.’s number is hanging with the greats, in the little Canadiens area of my home — just like it should have hung, one day, in the rafters of the Bell Centre. Don’t look back, P.K.. Onward and upward. As a fan and a parent, thank you so much for everything you have done and continue to do..#mtl4subban
“CK and Family” penned the letter, strategized when it should run and paid their hard earned money to publish it in a publication with approx. 228,000 daily readers. It should serve as a reminder of how strong a bond can be between a player and a fanbase. Especially when it’s a certain type of player.
—
PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rukavina // CBC